Transformers Prime Season 3 Episode 2: Prime
by LuisJM
Summary: With news that Optimus is alive and held captive by the Decepticons, the team needs to do anything they can to reach the fortress and free their leader. But dark forces are in play as Megatron welcome a key player into the fold. Will Team Prime succeed? Jack x Arcee Pairing. (Editing by FictionFan1024)
1. Aftermath

**Well, I kept with my promise for here it goes. I'm back and I have the second episode of my own version of TFP: Season 3 for all of you! Since starting the first episode almost a year ago, there were a lot of reviews, responses, and requests. That came up to me by surprise. Around 350 reviews, over a hundred favorites and followers, and over 68,000 hits. It's been the biggest response I ever saw since my Doomed Titans story a long time ago. Since I'm a man to my word, I going to continue with my third season starting with episode two labeled 'Prime'. But before I would get started with that, there are some things I need to clarify to the readers.**

**First of all, some readers, mostly guests, keep on pestering to update my story day in and day out for no other reason then to annoy me. Because of that, I had to split one chapter in half just to keep those people happy. Well let me say that all of you need to be patient for me! I'm thirty-years-old, I've done this for almost ten years, and although it's a quick escape, I have a life outside of my hobby. I got college to go to, I work part time, there's always the occasional trips in the summer, and other tasks I need to attend to. So please don't tell me to update periodically when you all ready know why I'm taking so long in my chapters.**

**Secondly, there are some reviewers who say that I've sort of overpowered MECH in my last episode, what with the E.M.P. cannon, the fake city for training, Blackout, the Groundbridge schematics, and the escape chopper at the end. Well allow me to be the first to say that I had my reasons. See MECH doesn't need to be a small little group that serves one man, it should be a huge terrorist organization that's within the U.S. that is under control by a higher ups that have connections to the latest in weaponry. I mean seriously folks! Where do you think they got those supped up rifles, cars, and choppers? Toys R Us? Don't answer that… Now I know that what I did was a little extreme for MECH. So I'll try to power them down a little. Maybe make the new chopper bots a little weaker then Blackout and leave the E.M.P. cannon out of the picture. Still, don't know if I can lower that a little more.**

**Third, where have been a few reviewers that said that I could add some more characters into the story. Even wanted me to bring Ultra Magnus and the Dinobots from the Beast Hunters. A lot of good ideas yes, but a little too soon for that occasion. I do want to add more characters into the season, but not too many and not too fast. Not to mention I've already added Jack, Raf, Miko, and June as new transformers for this season so that will be enough so far. I'm not going to reveal who these characters are or when they will appear. You just have to wait until I get around to it. I got just about a lot of episodes to add into the season and plenty of ideas going around. So just stay put and I'll get around to that.**

**Finally, there have been people that stated that made some bad spelling and grammar throughout the last season. Not to mention that my story felt like it came from a movie script. Now I know this is one thing I believe they were right on. But let's be honest here people, not everyone is perfect at writing. I do proofread these stories before I post them up and yet there are some things I miss within my reading. Hell, even with my spell checking, there are some things that the checker found and some that want me to change sentences that are confusing for me. All this is a bit too much and all, but there are some nit picks that need to be cleared. As for the type of writing I'm doing, I understand this is a little off. But it's still closely related to my story. Besides and last writing style I did differently lasted a couple of years until Fanfiction banned me for a week since what I did was basically script writing. So since them, all my writing is a little more story driven then previously. Seriously though, take a good look at my earliest of work, 'Teen Matrix', and you will see the direction I went to after that. At least on the bright side is that this new direction of my writing didn't ban me so far. So I guess the folks are happy about it. Hope everyone understands about this. Now that that's out of the way, let's get on to the story.**

**Now as I said before, I promised myself to watch Beast Hunters when I'm done with the first episode of my own season three. Well here's the thing. I'm going to watch Beast Hunters, but I'm going to watch it slowly. See, with college going on right now, my schedule could get a little wonky. But in all fairness, I'm going to watch a few episodes from here on out just to grab a few ideas from the show. Don't worry, I'll watch as much as I can. Just don't want to overload myself from the entire season. Now let's get on to the summary:**

**With news that Optimus is alive and held captive by the Decepticons, the team needs to do anything they can to reach the fortress and free their leader. But dark forces are in play as Megatron welcome a key player into the fold. Will Team Prime succeed?**

**Chapter Notes**

**Now this episode does take place after the first episode. But this chapter will take place immediately after the last episode of Season 2, _'Darkest Hour'_. A little off, yes, but I need to give a little clarity as to why Optimus survived and how Megatron captured him. Oh and since people been nagging in the first episode. Yes, the Decepticons will make an appearance in this story. Stop pestering me about it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers Prime**

**Enjoy the second episode.**

* * *

Transformers Prime Season 3  
Episode 2: Prime

Previously on Transformers Prime

Due to the destruction of the Autobot Base in Jasper and the loss of their leader, Team Prime had to take refuge in a new base of operations underneath Lake Erie while their human friends were taken into protective custody because of their involvement. But that was short lived, as their human friends were captured by MECH. Upon their capture, the Director, the head scientist of MECH's Science Division, created Project Metamorphosis, an invention that could turn humans into Cybertronian soldiers for their cause. The test subjects though were the very friends of the Autobots, Jack, Raf, Miko, and June.

The project passed with flying colors and turned the humans into robots in three separate stages. They were going to make a few more tests with the kids and June until the Autobots came and rescued them with the help of Professor Sumdac, a scientist assisting the Director who showed sympathy for what he had done. But during the rescue, the Autobots didn't expect the fact that their friends had been turned into their kind. They managed to make an escape and got their friends out of the facility and back to their base. When the four woke up recharged, they were shocked at what happened to them – well, with the exception of Miko. But the team knew that they needed to train them, as they could not return to their old selves. So train them they did.

For a week, they received intense training on shooting their blaster, using their melee weapons, and give them a little sparring lesson. Even Ratchet taught June on Cybertronian medicine. But as the team reached the Milton Air Force base to teach the recruits about scanning, transforming into their vehicle modes and driving, they were under attack by the Director's latest work called the MECHicons. With the help of the recruits, they managed to take the new soldiers down and gathered information about how MECH had set up a new facility at the Morrison dam not far from them. So Team Prime headed to the dam while the recruits returned to the base. But when the Autobots were captured to have their Intel extracted for more of MECH's purposes, it was left to Rodimus (formally known as Jack), Firewall (formally known as Raf), Kaosu (formally known as Miko), and Altra (formally known as June) to go and rescue them.

With the help of Wheeljack, they managed to break into the dam and rescue their friends. They even freed Sumdac's daughter, Sari, and her friend, Sam Witwicky, who were being used as bargaining chips to force Professor Sumdac to work with the Director. But as they were reaching both the project and the databanks that contained the Cybertronian Intel, they encountered the Director's latest work by the name of Private Jenkins, also known as Blackout. The battle was fierce and intense as the team used everything in their power to stop him. But Blackout was too powerful for them as he was about to finish them off. But thanks to Wheeljack, they were able to dispose of both Blackout and the project with Jack finishing him with his energy shield to deflect the propeller blades to the enemy's head. Unfortunately for them, the Director had one last trick up his sleeve as he rigged the entire dam to self-destruct, intending to bury them alive. The Autobots managed to make their daring escape and left the dam before it was completely destroyed, hoping they wouldn't see MECH and the Director ever again.

When they returned to the base to recover from the MECH onslaught, Rodimus was recharging in his berth when his Vector Sigma Key started to glow, making him enter a strange world that only the Primes knew. There he met with Vector Prime, the one who created the key, who gave him a message that would ultimately change this war. But as this was going on, the Decepticons were searching for the Autobots after destroying their base. Just as they were going to give up on the search, Megatron decided to talk to the one Autobot that knew where they were. Optimus Prime…

* * *

Chapter One: Aftermath

In a dark room, a TV stood fully turned off. Suddenly, the television came to life as the screen went static, showing news scenes from what happened over a number of days.  
**-static-  
**_'We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming for a special news bulletin.'  
_**-static-  
**_'A mysterious light came down from the sky and landed near the town of Jasper, Nevada.'  
_**-static-  
**_'No one knows where the light came from or how it got there. What we do know is that it came from space.'  
_**-static-  
**_'NASA satellites confirmed that the light is coming from behind the moon. No report as to why it's there, but on closer examination there appears to be a structure that was sending the light down to the planet.'  
_**-static-  
**_'We are able to get a closer look at the location where the light landed, and get a clear understanding of what we're up against. What we did discover was that there appears to be a structure where the light struck.'  
_**-static-  
**_'An anonymous building towers over the small town and looks alien in nature.'  
_**-static-  
**_'Where did this building come from and why did it appear at the spot where the mysterious light struck?'  
_**-static-  
**_'The mayor of Jasper has ordered the citizens of to remain indoors until further notice.'  
_**-static-  
**_'This just in! General Bryce from Jasper's Military Complex has ordered all citizens of Jasper to a mandatory evacuation.'  
_**-static-  
**_'You can see neighbors and friends gathering their possessions as they prepare to leave Jasper.'  
_**-static-  
**_'The military has entered this small town to help with the evacuations. From the weaponry they are carrying, it looks like they are going to war.'  
_**-static-  
**_'Everything from buses to choppers is being sent to Jasper to help ferry anyone that has not yet been able to leave this town.'  
_**-static-  
**_'It appears that they've set up EVAC outposts to help organize the evacuation, due to the confusion of the town's occupants.'  
_**-static-  
**_'No one knows why the military is aiding in the evacuations or why they are carrying heavy armaments into town. Hang on. There's Captain Thomas Lasky. He's in charge of the EVAC operation. Captain Lasky! Can we have a minute of your time? Mind explaining to the viewers why there is a strong military presence in the town?'_

_'No comment.'_

_'But captain, does all this ordnance have something to do with the huge tower that appeared unexpectedly?'  
_**-static-  
**_'As you can see, half the town has already evacuated their homes while the other half is desperately trying to leave. The military is trying their best to assist them, but there are those that are confused and wanted to know what was going on. No news reporter has a clue about any of this. Will keep you updated as soon as we ca- Holy Sh-'_

***Boom***

**-static-**

_'Uh… We seem to have lost contact with our reporter. We'll try to get back to him and soon as we can.'_

**-static-  
**_'Breaking news! Reports claim that the small town of Jasper is under attack!'  
_**-static-  
**_'Jasper, Nevada. A small town in the middle of nowhere heavily attacked by an unknown enemy.'  
_**-static-  
**_'Reports indicate that these assailants came from the same strange building that appeared near this small town.'  
_**-static-  
**_'We seem to have our video feed back from the town. Alice, if you can hear us, tell us what the situation is in Jasper.'_

***Boom***

_'Michael, as you to see and hear, the situation in this town has become extremely grave! One minute, the evacuation was going smoothly and the next minute the town was heavily under attack. The attack came without warning! The military is trying their best to hold this threat off while trying to evacuate the civilians in this town. This is no ordinary threat folks. This is a whole other level! Jason, get that camera over there! You can tell that whoever, whatever it is, they are armed and extremely dangerous. Some eyewitness accounts stated that they've seen these things transforming into vehicles and huge humanoids. Still we don't know much about them. What we do know is that this enemy is attacking everything in their path and is well organized. This is an absolute war zone over here and our forces can't hold them off on their own! They are in need of an assist!"_

***Bam***

_'Move it!'_

***Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat***

_'The checkpoint has been compromised! Fallback to EVAC Zone 15! We have to protect the civilians!'_

_'Um… We've been told to leave this area immediately. We'll try to contact you as soon as we can.'_

**-static-  
**_'For those of you just joining us, Jasper, Nevada is being invaded by what we have reason to believe an army of metal men.'  
_**-static-  
**_'Our sources believe that the enemy that attacked the town appears to be alien in nature.'  
_**-static-  
**_'General Bryce has made an immediate order to send in reinforcements to both help with the evacuation and to fend off this dangerous threat.'  
_**-static-  
**_'General, can you tell us who this unknown alien threat is and why are they attacking this town? Are they related to that huge tower that appeared over that town yesterday?'_

_'I'm sorry, but that information is classified until further notice. That's it! No more questions! This press conference is over.'_

_'General Bryce appears to be on edge on the whole situation in Jasper and who can blame him?'_

**-static-  
**_'This came into our news desk. Apparently the reinforcements that were going to assist the military seem to be blocked off.'  
_**-static-  
**_'Sources say that there is a huge clear dome that is blocking all roads to Jasper.'  
_**-static-  
**_'As you can see from this angle in our chopper, there is what appears to be a huge dome that has spread over many miles, covering both the town of Jasper and the tower that looms over it. My God… Those poor people… They're trapped…'  
_**-static-  
**_'The dome has trapped the remaining survivors and military forces within the shield, making it impossible to get out.'  
_**-static-  
**_'We're trying to get in contact with our reporters in the town but it would seem that this unknown force field is blocking off all known communications. We'll try to reach them as soon as we can.'  
_**-static-  
**_'The military is trying valiantly to break into the force field. As you can see, they are trying to use missiles to break into the shield. But nothing can penetrate that dome!'  
_**-static-  
**_'We fear the worse and pray for the lives that were lost in Jasper, Nevada.'  
_**-static-  
**_'As you can see, the army has set up camp all around the dome. They seem to not want the risk of another attack, as they have their tanks and missiles aimed at the dome in case something comes out.'  
_**-static-  
**_'Due to the recent attack in Jasper, the entire country is on high alert.'  
_**-static-  
**_'The Pentagon has considered the attack an act of terrorism and has raised the Armed Forces to DEFCON 1. The highest terror alert in the history of the U.S.'  
_**-static-  
**_'Military bases have been set up all over the states and are keeping a look out for any strange activity. Most of the bases have been set up in the Nevada area from Vegas to Reno as military personal are armed and ready for battle.'  
_**-static-  
**_'Riots are in the street as people are smashing into stores. Trying to grab anything they can.'  
_**-static-  
**_'Martial law has been in place throughout the country while curfews have been enforced for children with age ranges from 5-20 years.'  
_**-static-  
**_'The President urges his citizens to remain calm as the situation in the Nevada area is under control.'  
_**-static-  
**_'A huge naval force is positioned in the Pacific Ocean in an attempt to protect the Hawaiian Islands. I've never seen these many ships since the World War II era.'  
_**-static-  
**_'It would seem that the U.S. isn't the only country worried about this threat. Apparently the entire world is on edge.'  
_**-static-  
**_'Los estadounidenses están tratando de dejar a los Estados a obtener lejos de la amenaza posible. Pero parece que el tráfico es más lento a paso de tortuga. Algunos estadounidenses han decidido dejar sus coches para cruzar la frontera ilegalmente.'  
_**-static-  
**_'The Royal Family has been taken to an underground bunker underneath the main palace as the British military is under constant watch.'  
_**-static-  
**_'The Pope gathered his masses into the Vatican today to pray for those that have lost their lives in the Jasper invasion.'  
_**-static-  
**_'geudeul-eun ap-euloui gong-gyeog-e jasin-ui him-eul junbihamyeonseo nambughan moduui daesa neun seolo ui imsi hyujeon-eul mandeul-eossseubnida.'  
_**-static-  
**_'The Russian government has all of their military forces under high alert as tanks, combat jeeps, and missile trucks share the freeways with pedestrians.'  
_**-static-  
**_'Kyandoru no gishiki wa, Tōkyō pīkugasuto de kaisai sa reta sono machi de kōkan ryūgakuseidearu Tōkyō no jishin no Miko Nakadai, hajime jasupā, Nebada-shū no sore o tsukutta subete no hito no anzen no tame ni inoru.'  
_**-static-  
**_'Reports claim that radical groups are arming themselves over parts of Africa, preparing for the coming storm that began in the United States.'  
_**-static-  
**_'Religious leaders rally their followers for what took place in Nevada. They have reason to believe that the attack in Jasper marks some kind of apocalypse, claiming that it's the end of the world.'  
_**-static-  
**_My brothers and sisters… These are truly desperate times for us. The attack in the small town of Jasper, Nevada has proven that God is punishing us. But why is he punishing us might you ask? Why, for all of our sins, of course. Look around you… Look at what this world is coming to. Wars, manmade diseases, murder, famine, pollution. All made and caused by man and the Lord has had enough of this. One time he saw the terror man created and let the world drown in rain for forty days and forty nights. And now the attack in Jasper proves that the Lord is punishing us further. But there is still time to be forgiven. There is still time for hope. We shall continue to pray to him and when the time comes, we will be taken to the Heaven's gate and be one with our holy God.'  
_**-static-  
**_'As the world watches, a lot of questions remain unanswered. Who are these strange visitors that attacked the town? Why have they arrived to our planet? What is their purpose here? When will they leave? Is there any hope for us?'_

The screen went back to being static again and remained like that for a few more seconds with no news regarding the invasion. Suddenly, a purple insignia appeared on the TV and stood there ominously in front of the viewer. It was the Decepticon insignia, one that strikes fear in the sparks of many Cybertronians. The screen went static again and this time showed an image of a very scary robot with glowing red eyes and razor sharp teeth. That robot was the Decepticon leader, Megatron. He looked straight at the viewer, as he gave an address that would bring the true meaning of terror.

Megatron: _"People of Earth, I am Megatron, leader of the Decepticons. And I am here to deliver an important message. Your world leaders have been lying to you. Since the dawn of time you have believed that there was no extraterrestrial life beyond this planet. You were wrong… There is intelligent life in the farthest reaches of space, and they are right here on this planet. For years we have hidden in this planet in secrecy. That is of course until what happened recently with the attack in the small town. Now some of you might be wondering why? Why would I attack a small human town? Well the answer is quite simple really. You see, our planet was consumed by war. A war that had ultimately cost us our home. So we decided to leave that planet and find one that was suitable to our liking and have the very fuel source we need. This planet is perfect for our kind. There is only one problem, though. Human kind seems to have this planet in their control. You filthy organics infest this planet with your selfish actions and continuous pollution, and believe that you are the dominant force within the galaxy. That is where you're mistaken… Let me warn you that what happened to a small town was only the beginning. Soon, my forces will spread throughout this planet and destroy everything in their path. Your cities won't be safe, your homes won't be safe, you're friends won't be safe, your family won't be safe, YOU won't be safe. We will drown this world in flames and within the ashes a new empire will rise up. And if you survive the attack, rest assured, you will be of use to our cause. One way or another. The dawn of human kind is at an end. The rise of the Decepticons has begun!"_

He began to laugh maniacally before the television went to static and shut off in an instant.

* * *

Darkness… That's all there was to see… Nothing but darkness… Slowly little orange ambers came up from below and floated high into to air. Suddenly, the world started to look a little clearer as blurred visions of red, orange, and yellow appeared in view. When it was fully cleared, it was obvious that it was nothing but flames and sparks. All around the area, debris, rocks, and melted metal was all that was left of Autobot Outpost Omega One. Once a proud base of operations for the Autobots, it was discovered by the Decepticons by an unreliable source. The entire facility was laid to waste thanks to the Nemesis, the Decepticons flagship and its latest of weaponry, thanks to schematics supplied by Silas's Damocles. Now the base looked like a scrap yard engulfed in flames. Within the wreckage was once an electric guitar that belonged to Miko. But now that too was a wreck, with the finish burned, the amp torn apart, the neck cracked, and the strings snapped with the exception of one hanging by a thread.

Just then, huge footsteps shook the foundation, getting louder and louder by the second. Almost immediately, the huge footstep stomped on that spot, crushing the guitar on impact. In that spot now was a huge metallic creature with beefy arms and mandibles/razor sharp teeth. That creature is an Insecticon, the most dangerous of Decepticons. This Insecitcon screeched out loud while futuristic jets flew above it. Upon further view, groups of Vehicons, Airadicons, and Insecticons were combing the wreckage of the base, searching for any Autobot bodies. Leading the search was their second in command, Starscream, as he pushed the group for faster progress.

Starscream: "Keep searching! The bodies of the Autobots must be found!"

Not far from him was their fearless leader Megatron with his Dark Saber Sword strapped to his back, looking down at the Autobot insignia that survived the blast. Though his right arm was severed, he still stood proudly over his accomplishments. First, letting the Autobots surrender the Omega Keys to spare their human companions. Then, using the Omega Lock to create a fortress close to the Autobot's base. And then finally, destroying the base in one huge blow. Just the thought of the enemy burning in the rubble brought a smirk to his devilish teeth. But he still needed to be sure that the Autobots either joined the Well, or survived. Turning back to his second in command, he asked him a question.

Megatron: "Starscream, have our forces found the bodies of the Autobots?"

Scream walked towards his leader and responded with the most honest of tone.

Starscream: "No my lord. With the base destroyed it would take them time to search for their bodies. Probably solar cycles."

The leader turned fully and had a distasteful look on his face.

Megatron: "Unacceptable… Keep looking. I need to be certain that Optimus and his team have been disposed of. And what of the extermination of that human town? What is the status?"

Starscream: "Almost finished, my liege. Shockwave has already discovered the last of the human resistance taking refuge in what this species calls a sewage treatment facility. Once Soundwave gets the Nemesis into position, then the vermin will be eradicated."

Megatron: "Excellent… Once the humans in this town have been destroyed, humankind will know that there is no chance of fighting against us."

Knockout: "Lord Megatron."

The two cons turned in the direction of the voice and saw another heading towards them. This con had red armor color and front doors for his shielding, along with red optics that glowed in the night. This con was Knockout, the Decepticon's own medic.

Knockout: "Though I appreciate you walking about after what you've been through, I do believe it's wise that I take you back to the citadel for immediate medical evaluation. Perhaps put your old arm back in its place, since you lost the other one on Cybertron."

The leader looked at the medic intently and responded in a cold expression.

Megatron: "I will return to my citadel Knockout, once I know the Autobots have been disposed of."

Knockout nervously laughed and rubbed the back of his helm.

Knockout: "But of course my liege. I'll leave the medical procedure on hold until you're ready to return."

As soon as he said that, an Airadicon approached the three and told them what his team found.

Airadicon 01: "Forgive the intrusion my liege, but my team has found something that might interest you."

Megatron turned to him and asked if it was his enemies.

Megatron: "The Autobots?"

Airadicon 01: "No. But it's even better."

As if on cue, a small group of Airadicons approached the first and were holding two different objects in their servos. Once placed on the ground, the three looked at them and couldn't believe what they saw. The first was a long futuristic sword that had been split in two at the top, wedged into a piece of unrecognizable machinery. The other was a huge hammer with gears in between the top of the stick and the hammer ends at both sides. It's obvious that these two were the Star Saber and the Forge of Solus Prime, two Iacon artifacts that can only be wielded by a Prime. The three looked on and were surprised by this sudden event.

Starscream: "The Star Saber and the Forge of Solus Prime? Interesting… Never really thought that Optimus would abandon his sword."

Knockout: "True… But what is the Forge doing in this base? Shouldn't it be in storage back in the Nemesis?"

Megatron rubbed his chin and wondered about why the Forge would be in the Autobot base when it should be in his flagship. But then he remembered about Dreadwing and what he was planning to do with Starscream before the leader exterminated his spark. Putting the two together, he came to an obvious conclusion.

Megatron: "It's clear that the list of Dreadwing's treachery continues to grow. It could even explain why the Autobots managed to reach Cybertron to take back the Omega Keys. Doesn't matter anyway, since we now have these relics back in our possession. Take them to the treasury with the other artifacts the Autobots graciously handed to us."

The drone nodded as he and the others took the two Iacon relics to the fortress. As they were leaving an Insecticon approached the three and told them what his group had found.

Insecticon 1: "My lord…"

The three turned to the Insecticon as the leader responded.

Megatron: "Yes, what is it?"

Insecticon 1: "We found this within the wreckage."

He waved his hand to the distance as two additional Insecticons approached them with what appeared to be an Insecticon stasis pod with the top heavily damaged and scratch marks on the ends indicating that someone struggled to get out. The strangest part was that the pod was empty with no one inside. Once the two placed the pod on the ground, the three looked on and find that to be a bit strange.

Knockout: "Odd. Why would the Autobots be interested in an Insecticon stasis pod and left it inside the base?"

Megatron looked at the pod too and noticed that someone or something made an escape.

Megatron: "It's clearly evident that they must've kept something in there and kept it in here in case it tried to escape. The question is who?"

But Starscream saw this too and remembered when he breached this very base to get the Omega Keys. He approached the Insecticon and asked him about it.

Starscream: "Tell me soldier, have you spotted someone making an escape when you encountered this pod?"

The bug shook his head and responded negatively.

Insecticon 1: "No commander. No one was there when we found it."

Scream just sighed and knew this was bad.

Starscream: "Then this complicates things."

Megatron: "Something wrong Starscream?"

The second in command jerked a little bit and realized that the leader will be getting suspicious about what Starscream had been doing while being rogue. So he cleared his throat and turned to his leader, trying to hide the truth.

Starscream: "Nothing my lord. But I suspect that the one who had been in that stasis pod was that rogue scavenger, Airachnid."

There was an awkward silence with the leader and medic as Knockout remembered something and turned to Megatron about it.

Knockout: "You know, he does have a point, Lord Megatron. We haven't heard of that wench since she terminated my assistant, Breakdown. It must be the reason why those Insecticons just stopped attacking the Nemesis a decacycle or two ago."

Megatron heard all that and realized that he was right on those occasions.

Megatron: "You make some very valid points, Knockout. We haven't heard from that traitor since I learned of her betrayal. It's fairly obvious that she didn't do too well against the Autobots herself. But it doesn't matter to us anymore."

Starscream was shocked by this and tried to reason with his leader.

Starscream: "It doesn't matter? But master, Airachnid has the ability to control these Insecticons. If she had escaped from the blast, then this could be a problem for all of us."

The leader looked towards his second in command and told him that it was all right.

Megatron: "Don't be so worried Starscream. I have already taken the liberty to have Knockout make some modifications to the Insecticon armada."

The red con chuckled and dusted off the sot from his chest plate.

Knockout: "Don't mind me… I'm a natural in fixing the errors in these little bugs. Once you see Airachnid try to control these little cretins, she will be in for a real surprise."

Megatron: "So you see Starscream, you have nothing to worry about."

He chuckled from the leader's calmness and felt a little nervous.

Starscream: "Right… I'll believe it when I see it."

Before things could return to normal, there was a loud voice coming from the distance.

Airadicon 2: "LORD MEGATRON!"

They all immediately turned to see an Airadicon looking completely erratic.

Megatron: "What is it soldier?"

The drone was freaking out and trying to explain it to him.

Airadicon 2: "There's… There's… We found- There's something- I- I- I-"

But Scream had it with his babbling and tried to tell him to shut it."

Starscream: "Spit it out already! What did you find?!"

He pointed to the left and hysterically told them to come.

Airadicon 2: "See this- You need to see this! Follow! Follow!"

He returned in that direction as the other drones and insects looked at him in pure confusion. Knockout looked at that erratic Con and found it to be a bit strange.

Knockout: "Well, what crawled up his tailpipe and died?"

Megatron himself found it odd. But the drone's irrational behavior could only mean he found something important. So he started following his loyal soldier. Starscream and Knockout soon followed behind, along with everyone else, wondering what their comrade found as well. Megatron caught up to the freaked out Airadicon, who pointed his discovery to the leader.

Airadicon: "Look! Look!"

Megatron slowly walked past the Con and checked to see what the drone found. But suddenly, he stopped with his optics wide in shock and saw something he never expected. Beneath the huge rubble was what appeared to be a lifeless servo sticking out of the wreckage. The others looked at this too and were silent by this discovery.

Knockout: "Is that what I think it is?"

Megatron just stared at the arm sticking out and knew who it belonged to. Regaining his composure, he told his militia to dig the body out.

Megatron: "Remove the rubble. Slowly…"

Following his orders, the Cons gathered around to begin the painstaking process of removing it from the body. The Vehicons and Airadicons removed the smaller stuff like rocks, metal, and concrete while a few of the Insecticons transformed into their beetle like modes and lifted up the heavier pieces. Slowly the pile looked less and less filled until they reached the body. The moment the last huge piece of metal was removed, they all stood back and were shocked at what they uncovered. Soon enough, Megatron, Starscream, and Knockout joined and were even more surprised by this unexpected development. Within the wreckage was none other than the Autobot leader Optimus Prime, or what was left of him. The blast had caused major damage on his body as his armor was dented and sheared, the glass on his chest plate was cracked and shattered, and his protoform face had scars around the optics. Looking on, Starscream remained cool and crossed his arms at this turn of events.

Starscream: "Well now, if it isn't the great Optimus Prime! Doesn't look so great anymore."

Megs stared down at the body of his archenemy and nodded at Scream's words.

Megatron: "Indeed, Starscream. It would seem that my mortal enemy fought valiantly to the very end. Knockout, take Prime to the citadel. He will make an excellent statue in honor of my victory."

The medical Con turned to his leader and bowed gracefully.

Knockout: "Right away my lord."

As he walked toward the body of Prime, Starscream chuckled and never thought the Cons would get so lucky.

Starscream: "This is so rich! Who would've thought that within the wreckage, the first body we find is that of the Autobot's leader?"

Megatron turned to him and responded back.

Megatron: "It is quite strange, Starscream. But being that he is here, that would mean that the others can't be far behind. We need to keep searching in order to confirm that they have been extinguished."

But before Megatron could give out the order, he heard Knockout calling out to him.

Knockout: "Lord Megatron! You need to see this!"

The leader turned to his medic and wondered what he wanted. So he and his commander approached him with irritation in his voice.

Megatron: "What is it, Knockout?"

Knockout turned to his leader and gave him the dreadful news.

Knockout: "You are not going to believe this, but I scanned his life signature and discovered that Optimus is alive!"

There was a huge gasp within the armada as the troops looked at each other, asking questions as to how that happened. But Megatron was as shocked as the others as he demanded an answer.

Megatron: "What? He's alive!? HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?!"

The medic cleared his throat and explained to him in detail.

Knockout: "Don't really know, my liege. Physically, he's a complete wreck. But on the inside, his spark chamber is fully functioning, operating in normal levels, and keeping him online."

Starscream was bewildered by this as he protested to the doctor's words.

Starscream: "That is preposterous! That blast flattened this base like a pancake. No one could have survived that, not even Optimus!"

Yet Megatron reminded his commander about what happened to him.

Megatron: "You have forgotten, Starscream that I had survived a space bridge explosion by mere microns. It's obvious Prime is just as lucky as I was."

The second in command turned to his grateful leader and laughed a little nervously.

Starscream: "But of course my liege. How could I overlook that? But, since Optimus is in no condition to fight and is completely vulnerable, perhaps maybe you would do the honor of snuffing his spark and ending the long legacy of the Primes. That would truly be history making…"

The leader looked down at the fallen leader of the Autobots and had a slight smirk on his sharp teeth. With Optimus down, it would be an honor to end Prime and this war. Slowly approaching his archenemy, he used his left servo to grab the hilt of his dark saber sword and pulled it out, placing the sharp end of sword to Prime's chest. Ready to deliver the final blow, he lifted his sword up high into the air and was about deliver the final strike. As he held it high, Optimus started to groan and slowly started to open his optics, with the blue light blinking in and out. Megatron looked down at the leader and noticed the look in Prime's optics. Almost like he was about to die for his sacrifice. Almost like he wanted Megatron to kill him. The dangerous leader tightened his grip and was ready to finish this huge feud. So on instinct, he dropped the sword down on him to begin the strike. Starscream watched on and couldn't wait for his glorious leader to finish this long and deadly war. But the moment he completed his thrust, the second in command's face went from pleasure to pure shock. Even Knockout and the rest of the army looked on and couldn't believe what they witnessed. Optimus was still alive, because the sharp sword stopped at Optimus's helm, glowing purple as the leader looked on and felt a little weaker. Megatron stepped back and looked down at his enemy intently. But Starscream looked and couldn't believe what his leader had just done.

Starscream: "Master, what are you doing?! Optimus was down and out, you had your chance of ending it all and yet you are sparing your mortal enemy's life?! What are you thinking?"

He approached his leader and was a little upset with all of this. Big mistake though, as Megatron turned to his commander and back fisted him in the face, knocking him off his pedes. Star groaned a little with his back on the debris until Megs got down and grabbed him by the throat, lifting him high in the air and was irate.

Megatron: "YOU FOOL! If Optimus is the only one that is found in the wreckage, then that means the others have escaped through the ground bridge while the Prime stayed behind to destroy the controls. They could be anywhere, hiding any place. The Autobots must be found if I am to rule this world. Do I make myself clear…?"

Scream laughed nervously and understood the situation clearly.

Starscream: "But of course my lord. I see to it that the Autobots will be located and annihilated."

With that said, Megatron let go of the commander's throat as he coughed and wheezed from the unexpected chokehold. The leader then walked away from the downed Prime and started giving out orders.

Megatron: "Have search and destroy units spread out across the planet. Have them search both land and air for the Autobots' energon signature. Bring in Soundwave to help with the search by having him scan for any energon signatures and trace any calls that came from their little pets. And bring Shockwave in once he's done exterminating the last of the human scum within the town. I might need him to create a weapon that could ultimately destroy the Autobots."

As he was walking away, Knockout looked back at Optimus's body and wondered about him. So he turned to the leader and asked about it.

Knockout: "Um… Lord Megatron, what about Optimus?"

Megatron turned back to see the Prime still in his weakened and damaged state as he was slipping in and out of conscious again. Looking right at him, he knew what to do and turned to Knockout for an answer.

Megatron: "He might have information regarding the location of his friends and allies. Take him to the citadel to patch him up and put him in the prison cell. Take him to Darkmount."

He then turned back and looked up as the site he placed on the planet. Standing above him was the huge tower he created thanks to the Omega Lock. It was nearly hundreds of stories tall with many spikes sticking out in a symmetric design and a huge round structure floating ominously on top. The light of the orb shined brightly as it showed an energy signature with a beam of light sticking out at top. That beam of light was creating the energy dome that protected the Cons from the human military. At the same time, waves of Airadicons flew around the structure, this Darkmount, keeping watch from above. Megatron looked on at his fortress and smiled to himself very wickedly.

Megatron: "If the Autobots want to be hunted down, then let the hunt begin.

* * *

**There you have it, the first chapter of this second episode of my version of season three of TFP. Now I have seen the first episode of Beast Hunters and I know there is some difference between this chapter and that episode. Such as they didn't have a dome protecting them from any outsiders, the fact that Airachnid is still in that Insecticon pod in the episode when she should be free after a blast like that, Smokescreen coming back to help rescue Optimus, or why the government is still keeping the Autobot/Decepticon war a secret from the public after what had happened in Jasper. It's pretty strange even for me. Guess some people want to put their own way in adding their own season three. Including me. But we got to do it our own way since I've seen people telling that the third season was a little lopsided, more so then the last two. But anyways, a good enough start for the second episode. Just stay tune for more chapters as I give out some action, drama, and a couple of really good surprises. Trust me, you will love it! Please Review.**


	2. The Dream

**Well I knew that this story would get a huge response after my little update. And lo and behold, it happened. Pretty strong response too. 14 reviews (with three more guest reviews that will be posted later on), 26 favorites, 20 followers, and almost five hundred views. I say it has gotten off to a strong start. There were some people that are thinking about stopping to read my season after the second episode, one of which is Bigby the Big Wolf. Don't know why though, but it might have something to do with making him feel a little upset about what's bound to come next. But I assure him that he would be in for a surprise by the end of the chapter. He and the rest of you will like where I'm going with this. One more thing, Gazorscreen, the guest that's been backing me up mid way through was inspired by my word that he created an account for Fanfiction. I got to say, I am pleased with his commitment. Though I'm not a fan of Pokemon since they've been adding too many Pokemon characters each and every season at least I like how he's starting it. So in the words of Damien Sandow, you're welcome. As for the others, keep on reading my stories and maybe one day you will write stories of your own. Just a thought. Let's take a look at what's coming up on episode two of TFP season three. Jack gets news that Optimus is alive thanks to Vector Prime while Megatron interrogates the Autobot leader. Need I say more?**

**Chapter Notes**

**This chapter takes place immediately after the last episode, where Jack gets contact from Vector Prime. It was a reason why I have to cut off the conversation short like that. I think it fits in really well for the second episode too. Plus I added a reason why Optimus survived the blast and it has something to do with being a Prime. Now this is my opinion and it's a really good one. So you can argue about that when you're done reading it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers Prime**

* * *

Chapter Two: The Dream

Jack: _"Optimus is alive?"_

Jack was completely surprised by this news. In fact, he was surprised about everything that happened in the past few minutes. First, he had been recharging peacefully on his berth after a serious fight with MECH's army and getting out of there alive. Then in the next minute he was taken to a mysterious place that only the Primes knew of, either alive or dead. And now he was standing before Vector Prime, one of the thirteen original Primes and creator of the Vector Sigma key. But this news of Optimus summed it all up as the shocker of all time. Vector looked down at the young teen and answered his sudden question.

Vector Prime: _**"But of course Jackson Darby. You seem surprised by this news."**_

Jack looked up to the Prime and was a little hesitant by this.

Jack: _"Surprised? That's pretty much an understatement. How is it possible that Optimus is still around? Fowler said that the blast killed him!"_

Vector looked at him oddly and responded to his confusion.

Vector Prime: _**"And do you believe him?"**_

Jack: _"Well he saw the base get destroyed."_

Vector Prime: _**"But did he see Optimus get destroyed?"**_

Jack gave that some thought and realized that he was right on that one.

Jack: _"Okay, you make a very good point right there. But it still doesn't explain to me why Optimus could survive a blast that destroyed the entire base in one hit!"_

Knowing now would be a good time to explain, Vector told him a secret that all the Primes knew.

Vector Prime: _**"You see Jackson Darby, being a Prime is more than a leadership title, it is something unique. Within each Prime is a special ability that can help us adapt to the world around us, especially in combat. Only we Primes know of this and would only use it if things get too dire. For Optimus, his ability is to create a sphere like barrier from within his matrix, making it big and strong enough to withstand even the most powerful of weapons. It's a defensive ability for the most extreme situations."**_

Vector then extended his servo as an image magically appeared close to Jack. The young teen turned to the image to see what the Prime was showing. What he saw was Optimus in the old base prepping his Star Saber sword. Looking on, he saw the leader strike his sword into the ground bridge controls, destroying the terminal containing the location of the other Autobots and their companions. But with the controls gone, he had very little time to escape. Knowing that there was no time left, he placed his servos near his chest and opened his spark chamber, revealing his Matrix of Leadership. That was when Jack noticed a light blue translucent barrier appear out of his spark chamber and surround the brave leader, seconds before the entire base was destroyed. As the image disappeared, Jack tried to process what he had seen. Almost immediately, his eyes were wide and he finally figured it out himself.

Jack: _"Optimus knew that he had this ability the whole time and didn't tell the others about it!"_

Vector Prime: _**"And he stayed behind to make sure that you and your friends could not be located, creating this barrier to protect him from the destruction of the base."**_

Turning back to Vector, he finished with what he said.

Jack: _"So basically Optimus has an instant god mode. Clever…"_

Vector Prime: _**"Indeed… However he is still in grave danger."**_

Jack's face turned to worry as he asked the great Prime about it.

Jack: _"What do you mean by that?"_

Vector's response was to wave his other servo and showed him another image. Jack looked right at the image and was horrified by what he was saw. The image showed Optimus in his current state, with his armor banged out, the paint job beyond scratched, the windshields cracked, and the skin on his face broken in places. He also looked shackled by energy cuffs from his servos to his pedes and was hanging above the floor in a dark room with one light on over him. As the teen looked at that image, Vector explained to him the situation.

Vector Prime: _**"Though Optimus managed to create a barrier to protect him, he didn't make it strong enough for a blast of that magnitude. He is badly damaged and in no position to fight. Not only that, but he is being held captive by the very enemy that threatens your world, and they are keeping him locked against his will. He must be saved before it's too late."**_

Jack turned back to Vector and asked about that.

Jack: _"What would happen if Optimus isn't rescued in time?"_

Vector Prime: _**"Think about it, young Darby. Optimus is the last of the Primes and the only hope to end this war that has entered your world. If his spark gets extinguished before he is saved, then the Decepticons will win this war and will take over your planet. He needs to be rescued, and you, Jackson Darby, will save him."**_

Jack looked up to see him and almost felt like he had a heart attack.

Jack: _"Me? Save him? I can't do that! I'm just a kid! A teenager that just got into the wrong place at the wrong time! I don't have hero material written in me."_

Vector Prime: _**"No Jackson Darby! That's where you're wrong! I foresee a great destiny ahead of you. The path is uncertain, but this destiny you face will ultimately change the course of this war. But in order for your destiny to be set, you must free Optimus from his imprisonment."**_

Jack looked at him strangely and was confused. Jack has a destiny? That he has to save Optimus from Megatron? That felt impossible for him to muster. But looking into Vector's optics, he could tell that he wanted him to do this. If there was a chance to save his world, Optimus must be freed. But there were still obstacles in the way of this rescue and Jack needed to tell the Prime about it.

Jack: _"Okay… Even if I could rescue him, it would be impossible to get to him. The Decepticons have a fortress, an army, and a barrier that's preventing anyone from getting in. How am I supposed to save Optimus if all of that is in the way?"_

Vector Prime: _**"Aren't you forgetting something Jackson? You have your friends that will help you in your quest and enemies that will become your allies. You will have many obstacles to face, yes. But with the help of others, you will succeed in your task. Now go, Jackson Darby. Time is short and you must face your destiny."**_

Jack heard this and was surprised by Vector's words. He would get help from his friends. Does he mean the Autobots? Does he mean his friends, Raf and Miko? Does he even mean Arcee? And what about Professor Sumdac, his daughter Sari, and Sam Witwicky? Will they be involved in this war too? And what did he mean he would have enemies becoming his allies? Can't be the Decepticons. Could it be someone else? Still, all these questions are left unanswered, as Vector said his final goodbyes. But yet, there was one more question that needed to be answered, so he looked at the Prime to ask it.

Jack: _"There is one more question I need to ask you Vector."_

Vector Prime: _**"Yes? And what is it you want to ask of me?"**_

The teen took a deep breath and told him his question.

Jack: _"If you have news that Optimus is alive, then why come to me? Why not the other Autobots? I'm nothing that special."_

Vector looked down at the young Darby and chuckled a little.

Vector Prime: _**"Oh my dear Darby, why ask such a question when you already know the answer."**_

With that said, Vector slowly faded into the empty space while Jack panicked and didn't know what that meant.

Jack: _"Wait, Vector! What do you mean by that? What do you mean that I already know the answer? Don't leave me here! Come back! Vector, come back!"_

Almost immediately, a white flash engulfed the room and completely blinded him.

* * *

Immediately, Jack woke up in a cold sweat, though he didn't have much a sweat, and was breathing heavily. Looking around, he soon realized that he was in his own room. Then looking down at himself, he saw his metal body with the Vector Sigma key still in his servo. He was back to being Rodimus. The young mech sighed to himself and was a little on edge after what he'd experienced.

Jack/Rodimus: "A dream… It was all just a dream. But it felt all too real."

Thinking about that dream, he began to wonder if the words of Vector Prime were true. What if Optimus is still online and he needs the Autobots help. Just as he was thinking about that, he heard a knock on the door and the sound of Arcee on the other end.

Arcee: "Jack? Is everything okay in there? Open up! It's me Arcee!"

Realizing the femme's voice, he got off his berth and approached the door. Opening it, he saw Arcee with a look of worry in her optics. Knowing this, he calmed her down and asked what was wrong.

Jack/Rodimus: "Arcee? What's going on? Why are you feeling so frantic?"

The two-wheeler took a deep breather and explained what she heard from him.

Arcee: "Well, I should ask the same thing from you. You were yelling in your room and I could hear it through the walls. You even called out the name of Vector Prime. Is everything okay with you?"

Jack's optics were wide and couldn't believe that she heard him, let alone that he had been talking in his sleep. It was a little embarrassing for him, especially the fact that he had to say Vector's name out loud. He was about to explain to Arcee what happened, but he heard the voice of Vector Prime in his processor, repeating what he heard.

Vector Prime: _**"Time is short and your must face your destiny."**_

Hearing those words, Rodimus knew it meant they had to rescue the Autobot leader. With determination on his face, he told the femme what he wanted her to do.

Jack/Rodimus: "Arcee, we don't have a lot of time to explain. I want you to wake everyone up and tell them to come to the command center. It is important."

He then started to walk away from Arcee and headed to the command center. The two-wheeler though looked a little dumbfounded by this and didn't know what to think. First Rodimus was screaming during his recharge and now he's acting way too serious. Something wasn't right, and she felt it. So she decided to ask him about it.

Arcee: "Jack? What's wrong? What's gotten you so worked up?"

Rodimus slowly turned to the femme and told her about the news he received.

Jack/Rodimus: "It's about Optimus. I don't think he's as dead as we think."

* * *

Meanwhile, Optimus was still groaning as he was trying to regain his sight back. But the moment he was able to open his optics, he saw the face of Knockout with a gleeful smile.

Knockout: "Wakey, wakey oh mighty Prime."

Looking around, Optimus realized where he was. He was in a dark and dingy room strapped to a berth with stasis shackles on his arms, legs, and waist. Close by was a tray table filled with Cybertronian tools made for torture. The room he was in was an interrogation room used to force Autobots to give the Cons Intel. Optimus had been in this room most of the time since his capture and he had been suffering the torment the enemy put him through. Yet no matter what they did to him, he would never divulge any information about his team. Still, that didn't mean they would continue to torture him until his spark was extinguished. Once Knockout stepped back, the Autobot leader saw Megatron and Starscream standing at the doorway, with the leader wearing a pleasant, yet sinister, smile on his face.

Megatron: "Ah… Optimus… So nice of you join us on such short notice."

Prime slowly looked up at the Decepticon leader with a sour look in his optics.

Optimus Prime: "Megatron… What do you want with me?"

Megs just looked at him intently and gave off a slight chuckle, approaching him with an ultimatum.

Megatron: "Why Optimus, I'm quite surprised at you. After all this time, you have forgotten why you're here. I know that you let your team scatter across the world, and you destroyed the ground bridge controls to prevent us from finding them. I also know that you have information regarding the location of your Autobot soldiers and their human allies. That is the reason I'm keeping you alive, so that I can get what I want. Now I can tell that you've been in so much pain since your imprisonment. So I'm going give you a chance to save yourself. Just tell us where the Autobots are hiding and I'll spare your life."

Optimus looked down and remained quiet, indicating that he won't tell his enemy anything. Megatron just stared at him coldly and could tell that the Prime won't speak. So he had to do what he'd been doing for the past two weeks. Force the answer out of him.

Megatron: "Very well… Knockout, proceed…"

The medic nodded and picked up an electrode prod from the tray. Approaching the brave leader, he pointed the prod at his faceplate; sparks dancing at the end.

Knockout: "This is going to go quick or slow. But I'm really hoping you go for slow…"

With that said, the medic pulled the prod back and thrust it forward, striking the Autobot leader in the chest plate where the spark chamber is located. Prime felt the pain and grunted in agony. But yet no matter how painful it was, he didn't scream from the pain. Knockout kept on striking through the spark chamber as Optimus kept holding his anguish. As it all went down, someone was peeking through the crack of the metal door, watching the torture through his own optics.

* * *

Outside of the interrogation room, two Vehicons were guarding the door's entrance, keeping watch in case anything suspicious came. But the Vehicon on the left looked through the crack of the metal door and found it strange that Optimus didn't cry from the torment. Even after these two weeks he didn't see him looking scared. He turned to the other Vehicon and asked him about it.

Vehicon 1: "I don't get it. Every Autobot screams when they get interrogated. Why won't he?"

The other Vehicon grunted and explained the reason why.

Vehicon 2: "Humph… Isn't it obvious? That Autobot is a Prime."

The first Vehicon peeked back through the cracked door and was impressed by the leader's bravery.

Vehicon 1: "A Prime huh?"

* * *

Back in the interrogation room, Knockout continued to punish the Prime as he thrust the electro prod at the leader's chest, each hit stronger then the last. Still though, the leader continued to be resilient; he kept his mouth shut despite the torture he was being put through. Megatron looked at this little show and realized that he had seen enough. The last thing he wanted was for the Autobot leader to die before giving him the Intel he needed. Lifting his servo up, he told the doctor the stop.

Megatron: "Stop Knockout. I think the Prime has had enough."

The Decepticon medic turned to his leader and nodded in approval, knowing that he wanted the Autobot leader alive. Stepping aside, Megatron approached Optimus, who was breathing heavily from the prod strikes, and placed his sharp digits to his chin, lifting his head up so that he could see the deadly leader.

Megatron: "I've got to say, Optimus, you have such strong willpower. In fact, no matter what we use on you, you won't even cry. It doesn't matter though. Sooner or later, you will crack under pressure and you will give me the locations of your friends and allies. And once my troops find each of them, I will bring them all here so I can let you watch as I tear every Autobot and human pet apart. Piece by piece…"

Letting go of the chin to let the head tilt downward, the leader then turned around and walked away, ready to tell the guards at the door to take him to his cell. But before he could get to the guards, Optimus slowly lifted his head back up and decided to ask him a simple question.

Optimus Prime: "Why Megatron? Why did you do this? You had the Omega Keys in your possession. You had the chance for revitalizing Cybertron. But that wasn't enough for you, was it? So you wanted more power than you had before, and wouldn't stop until you had it all. That obsession is what cost us our own home. You can never get enough of what you possess."

The Decepticon leader stopped in his tracks and listened to the very words Prime said. Slowly turning to him, he talked about the Prime's actions as well.

Megatron: "Oh Optimus, even before you were a Prime you lectured me. Though I must say, you shouldn't speak of my actions after the crimes you yourself have committed."

Optimus Prime: "My crimes?"

Megatron: "But of course, Prime. You were the one that used the Star Saber to destroy the Omega Lock. That was our only hope, our only salvation, to restore our planet back to the way it was. But thanks to your selfish act, you have doomed all Cybertronians across the universe. You have betrayed your kind, Optimus, and violated the covenant of the Primes. You are the one responsible for the extermination of our race. You are nothing but a traitor to both Cybertronians and the Primes."

Optimus Prime: "I'm a traitor? I wouldn't have taken such a drastic step if you had not used the Omega Lock as a weapon to attack Earth. You've built this fortress to begin your empire here on this planet. To make matters worse, you decided to attack the small town of Jasper that was near our base, killing all those innocent people. So why go that far to threaten this very planet?"

Megatron: "Simple, Optimus. To watch you break… You promised these weaklings that you would protect them no matter what the cost. And now you failed them just as you failed our race. I have made an example of that pathetic town because they were the ones that had kept that base of yours hidden. Now the blood of every man, woman, and child has been spilled all over that same town. And the worst part of it is that all is that the blood is now all over your servos, Optimus Prime."

Optimus turned his head away and felt disgusted by it. The fact that every human in that town was killed thanks to him sickens his very spark, yet he knew that the blame was on his archenemy. Turning back to him, he argued back to the cold and sparkless leader.

Optimus Prime: "All those humans didn't even know of the Autobot's existence or the base we resided in. Only a few knew of us. None of them deserved to die or get dragged into our war. Yet you went ahead and attacked that town just to fill that ego in your processor. And now you talk of raging war with the human race. Are you mad?"

Megatron had just about had it with the Prime and turned around fully, spitting back at him.

Megatron: "NO Prime! I am not mad, nor am I ego driven. What you've done made me into a desperate mech. With our last chance of reviving Cybertron no more, and the All Spark nowhere to be found, our kind has no choice but to find a planet that is suitable to our liking. And this planet has all the resources and energon to help us sustain that life. But with the humans in the way, it would be impossible to coexist with them. Which is why they need to be eradicated, quickly and swiftly. Even if they managed to survive my onslaught, they would make excellent servants to our cause."

Optimus cringed at the fact that this world would be taken over by the Cons and the human race serving them and told Megs what he thinks of his plan.

Optimus Prime: "You are a monster, Megatron…"

The dangerous leader then slowly walked to the wounded Autobot and decided to end this.

Megatron: "I'm a monster? No… It was you and the Thirteen Primes that are the monsters. If you hadn't gotten involved in that meeting with them, then I would've been the next Prime. But you never listened, did you? Instead, you decided to let Cybertron live in peace and the Primes graced you, with your knowledge, as an alternative to my proposals. No thanks to you, our planet went to war. Cybertron is dead, and now this planet is next. Don't worry Optimus; I will let you live as I force you to watch, as Earth and humankind fall into the hands of the Decepticons. And once your Autobot friends have been disposed of, this world will be no more, and the humans will be enslaved. Then I will let you decide if you are ready to die. But until then, you will feel the pain I have suffered through many eons…"

Slowly he raised his right servos and wiggled his sharp digits, looking at them with the sheerest of delight. Turning back to his archenemy, he positioned his servo to him and struck.

* * *

Outside of the interrogation room, the two Vehicons were waiting for the session to be over. Suddenly, they heard a loud grunt coming from Optimus as it sounded like he was seething in pain. As soon as the noise stopped, the doors suddenly opened and Megatron, Starscream, and Knockout came out of the room. The first Vehicon looked at the leader and noticed that the digits of his right servo were dripping with fresh energon. The leader then turned to that Vehicon and told him what to do.

Megatron: "Take the prisoner to Knockout's lab for immediate medical attention. Then return him to his cell. He could still be of some use to me."

The Con nodded as the two entered the interrogation room while the leader, the commander, and the medic left. As the two entered the room, the first Vehicon spotted the trail of energon going to the berth of the prisoner. Looking up, he was appalled by what he saw. Standing before him, was Optimus Prime in complete and utter pain with a huge gash below his left breastplate. He was slowly oozing out energon. The Autobot leader looked up to the two Cons and groaned in agony, with his optics flickering madly. The Vehicon looked horrified and couldn't believe that the Decepticon leader could do something like that. There is a line that leaders shouldn't cross and to the Con's processor, Megatron had crossed that line.

* * *

**Done with chapter two. I know that this is a pretty short one. But don't worry, as the story progresses it will get more interesting. I promise you won't be disappointed. As for the next chapter, with the Autobots now knowing that their leader is alive and being held captive, the team must find a way in getting into the citadel and save their leader. The bad news though is that the Decepticons now got a weapon that could destroy the Autobots. I'm pretty sure you all know where I'm going with this. Please Review.**


	3. Predaking

**Okay, before I continue, just want to discuss about recent TFP news. See, they premiered the movie 'Predicons Rising' on the Hub and released it on DVD. Course I didn't watch it due to the fact that I'm trying to catch up with the Beast Hunters episodes. But I did put it on my DVR so I can have a chance in watching it in the near future. Still though, there are some people who wrote in their stories and spoilers of the movie in which Optimus, and this is what I can put together, sacrificed himself to revive Cybertron. Now I don't know how these writers managed to watch the movie before it came out, but I think that was a shocker if I do say so myself. Still though, it leaves a lot of gap holes from both the movie and the third season. And besides, with Optimus out of the picture, who will lead Cybertron to peace since a Prime needs to be in command? Perhaps they might make a series that took place after Transformers Prime but I find that highly unlikely. Well until the forth Transformers movie next year, I guess we have to wait and watch Transformers on Netflix. Taking a look at what happened to the last chapter, it's as still strong as ever. Twelve reviews and 481 hits in total, plus even more from the first chapter. Still though, with the exception of the people that read my first story, I'm beginning to wonder if there were others that haven't read my first episode yet. I state this because the second chapter have less hits then the last and maybe some readers would be a little confused by my second episode and I don't think they read the first one. Maybe it's just me but I think a little clarity is in order. So if anyone is reading the second episode and didn't read the first, I suggest you start reading 'Rebirth' first, otherwise you will get confused by all of it. Just saying… Anyways, back to my story. On this chapter of Prime, the Autobots got news that their leader is alive and being held captive. So they have to come up with a plan in rescuing Optimus. But at the same time the Decepticons welcome a dangerous ally into their team, one that the Autobots can't defeat. What's bound to happen? This is going to be an interesting chapter.**

**Chapter Notes**

**I know I promised that I don't want to add anything from Beast Hunters. But there is one thing that interests me and would make a really good boss at the end of the episode. I'm pretty sure you already know who it is judging by the title of this chapter or you knew it from the start. But hey, just need to give you the heads up on it anyways. So here we go!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers Prime**

* * *

Chapter Three: Predaking

In the command center of the Autobots new base of operations underneath Lake Erie, everyone gathered around Rodimus as he talked to them about the news, leaving a few details behind. As soon as he finished his story, the others were in complete shock and couldn't believe what they heard. Arcee then stepped in and tried to piece it all together.

Arcee: "Whoa, whoa! What are you talking about Rodimus? You're saying that Optimus is alive?"

Jack turned to his partner and answered back.

Jack/Rodimus: "What, is there an echo in here? Yes, Optimus is still online!"

Ratchet heard that and shook his head, not believing what he was hearing.

Ratchet: "That's not possible! Optimus was blown to pieces when our old base was decimated by the Cons. Fowler said it himself."

Jack turned to him and explained that it was half the truth.

Jack/Rodimus: "Correction. Fowler only saw the base get destroyed; he didn't see Optimus get killed. If he was dead, then there would've been proof that his body was within the wreckage."

As the talk was going on, Professor Sumdac, his daughter Sari, and her friend Sam Witwicky, were back at the observation area still rubbing the sleep out of their eyes. But they heard this news too and were a little confused by it. It was then that Sari turned to Bulkhead, who was close to the three, and asked about that.

Sari: "Um… Sorry if I'm a little confused by all of this, but who is this Optimus guy?"

Sam Witwicky: "Yeah. And why haven't we heard of him before, let alone seen him around."

Bulk turned to the three and explained to them about their leader.

Bulkhead: "Optimus was the leader of the Autobots, and the last of the Primes. He was destined to stop Megatron and end this war that left our planet, Cybertron, in ruins. That was until the Cons decided to move in to your planet and attack our base. We all managed to make an escape and scattered throughout the states, trying to avoid capture. But Optimus stayed behind and destroyed the ground bridge controls to prevent Megatron from finding us. None of us believed that Optimus would go offline in our base until just two weeks ago. Still though, I never really thought that our leader could have survived that."

The wrecker turned to the former teen and wanted to know how Optimus managed to survive. But Jack looked at him and tried to explain without revealing too many details.

Jack/Rodimus: "Well he did. But that's the good news. The bad news is that he is badly injured and being held captive by the Cons. We have to save him if we are to end the war and save this world."

There was a bit of shock within the group, as the team couldn't believe that their leader is not only alive, but also taken by Megatron and is being held against his will. Still though, there were questions about how Rodimus knew this. Smokescreen asked him about it.

Smokescreen: "Hold on a nano click. How do you know all of this stuff? Who told you about Optimus?"

He turned to the Elite Guard member and was a little worried at first. He couldn't let them know about his meeting with Vector Prime or things could get more complicated than it already was. So he avoided that subject as best he could.

Jack/Rodimus: "Who cares who told me about that news? What matters is that Optimus is in trouble and he needs our help. If we don't save him soon, he will go offline and Megatron will win the war."

There was a bit of silence within the team and they knew this was much more serious than they thought. If the Prime dies, then the war would be lost. That's the last thing they all wanted. So Arcee nodded in agreement and got serious quickly.

Arcee: "Rodimus is right. If Optimus is alive then we need to save him! We have to reach the citadel and rescue Prime."

Ratchet heard this and was shocked and angry about this.

Ratchet: "Absolutely not! You're planning to break into a Decepticon fortress without knowing where they're keeping Optimus? That's suicide!"

Rodimus headed to the medic and told him it's the only way.

Jack/Rodimus: "It's a big risk, yes, but it's our only choice in the matter. And unless you have a better plan than this, I believe it's our only chance."

Ratch stared at the young mech and argued back.

Ratchet: "Well, give me one other good reason why we should head down there, besides this notion of rescuing Prime. One other good reason…"

As Rodimus was thinking about that, Bulkhead realized something and started to get the medic's attention.

Bulkhead: "I can think of one. Those Omega Keys weren't the only ones we surrendered to the Cons."

The two looked right at the Wrecker and were a little confused by what he was saying.

Ratchet: "Excuse me?"

Bulk looked at them and gave off a little explanation.

Bulkhead: "Back on Cybertron we had to give up the Iacon relics to ensure the safety of our friends. I'm sure that the Cons managed to retrieve those relics to put them someplace in that fortress of theirs. Without those relics in our possession, we won't stand a chance against them. If we can get them back, we might have a shot of winning this war."

Smokescreen turned to him and nodded in agreement.

Smokescreen: "Hey that's right! Those Iacon relics were a big help to us when we were taking on an army of Cons and retrieving the keys. Without them we would be completely vulnerable. I mean, I feel a little naked without my Phase Shifter."

Jack nodded and turned back to the medic with a grin on his faceplate.

Jack/Rodimus: "How's that for a good reason?"

Ratchet then turned back to him and still didn't like it.

Ratchet: "Even if that's the case, I still think that this is madness!"

Arcee walked up to him and told him that they had to do it.

Arcee: "Whether you like it or not Ratchet, we have to get down there and save our leader from total termination. You know it as much as the next bot."

Ratchet lowered his head down and knew that she had a good point. If Optimus is still alive, then they need to rescue him. But there are still obstacles blocking their path that Ratch needs to address, so he looked up to them and told them the issue they might have.

Ratchet: "Even so, this is still too dangerous for all of you. Breaking into a few MECH facilities is one thing, but a heavily fortified Decepticon base with Primus knows how many troops or weapons they possess? That's a whole different story! And besides, Fowler said that they have a barrier that's covering both the citadel and the town of Jasper, making it impossible to break into. Even with the firepower we have, we can't breach their defenses."

Everyone remained quiet as Miko, also called Kaosu for her codename, looked back at the ground bridge behind her and had a really good idea. She turned to the medic and told him about that while waving her servo to it.

Miko/Kaosu: "Uh, Ratchet? Why don't we use this? If we can't blast our way through the dome, then maybe we can bridge our way past it."

Wheeljack approached the Wrecking Cadet and looked at the tunnel too, feeling impressed by her thinking.

Wheeljack: "So, a sneak attack within the dome without the Cons knowing it. I like it…"

Ratchet looked at the bridge too and thought that was wise as well, but there is a drawback on it.

Ratchet: "A wise idea Kaosu, but there is a flaw in that plan."

He then approached the console and activated the mapping grid for the ground bridge.

Ratchet: "Take a look at this."

The moment he pushed a button, the screen showed the map of the planet with possible bridging locations. The group gathered around and wondered what the medic was showing them.

Ratchet: "While all of you were busy dealing with those MECHicons, I was looking at the bridging map to see if it's all operational. With the exception of interference due to storm anomalies, I've encountered something within Nevada."

Typing a few key sequences, he did a close up within the Nevada area. The team noticed a huge circle where Jasper was located with Cybertronian words that states, 'undetermined'. Jack took a closer look at the map and asked the medic about it.

Jack/Rodimus: "Ratchet, exactly what are we looking at here?"

Ratch looked at the circle too and told them about it.

Ratchet: "That is the dome that is covering the Decepticon base and Jasper. From what I could piece together, this force field the Decepticons are using to protect themselves is emanating some kind of energy frequency. That frequency is blocking the bridge's location marker, making it impossible to get a bridge within the barrier."

Arcee: "And you're saying this to us because…"

He turned to the group and gave them a straight answer.

Ratchet: "Because that dome is making bridging into the citadel impossible to breach. Even if I could recalculate the location, there's no telling the risks of an unstable bridge."

The group heard that and tried to think of another way in getting into the barrier. But as they were thinking about it, Raf, or Firewall, came up with an idea and told the medic about it.

Raf/Firewall: "Maybe there is a way of getting through the shield. I have an idea."

Ratch looked to him and was curious about that.

Ratchet: "You do?"

The hacker nodded and explained his theory.

Raf/Firewall: "Like you said before, Ratchet, that barrier is creating an energy frequency that is blocking the bridge's teleportation signal. If I can modify the energy field of the ground bridge to match that of the force field, then maybe we get through it without any risk of getting hurt or worse."

Looking back and forth between the tunnel and the hacker, Ratchet was interested about Raf's offer.

Ratchet: "You think that's doable?"

Firewall smiled at the medic's question and responded to it.

Raf/Firewall: "I managed to bring the ground bridge online and hack into MECH's security system to bypass the torrents. I think I can handle a little modification."

Ratch nodded and understood the idea that Raf had in mind and smiled a little. But then went back to his usual emotion and discussed another problem with the rescue.

Ratchet: "Still, we're going to have the issue of that army that will be waiting for us."

Bumblebee came in and asked about that.

Bumblebee: _**(And why's that?)**_

He turned to the scout the explained to him the situation.

Ratchet: "Because those wretched Cons are still hunting us, Bumblebee. Though we might now have those EDs installed, they could still see us if we're in close range. If any one of us is spotted, they won't hesitate to take us down. Not to mention that there's no telling what kind of weapons they have in their possession since they created that fortress of theirs. It might be impossible to get in!"

The team thought about it too and realized that he did have a point. Though they have the Energon Dampeners and Scramblers to help block their location from the Cons, they could still be at risk of being seen. Arcee thought that too and agreed with the medic for once.

Arcee: "You're right for once, Ratchet. We can't just walk into the fortress and ask Megatron to give our leader back. There's got to be a way of getting into that base without getting spotted. But how?"

The team thought about it and wondered how to get into the citadel without the Cons noticing them. Even Jack thought this through and didn't have a clue on how to sneak into enemy territory. But as he rubbed the temples of his helm, he looked right at his servo and realized something. The Decepticons were searching for the Autobots and their human companions. But looking at his own servo, he realized that he, his friends, and his mother are no longer human. They were all now Cybertronian with little resemblance to their old selves. Knowing this, he looked to Arcee and asked about that.

Jack/Rodimus: "Hey Arcee, what about us?"

The two-wheeler looked at her partner and was confused about this.

Arcee: "Come again Rodimus?"

Jack/Rodimus: "I meant what about Kaosu, Firewall, and me? You said it yourself that the Cons will notice all of you the moment you enter the fortress. But maybe if we go in there, they won't suspect anything."

Both Miko and Raf realized it too as they agreed with their friend.

Miko/Kaosu: "You're right Rodimus! We are recruits within the team and we're not on the Decepticreep's wanted list."

Raf/Firewall: "Not only that, but it would be easy to get in there without getting caught."

The team looked at each other and had mixed reactions to all of this. Half good and bad. So the femme looked at them and told them that's not a good idea.

Arcee: "Don't know if that's wise, you three."

Jack turned to her and asked why.

Jack/Rodimus: "Is there a problem with that, partner?"

Arcee: "You could say that. See, even as good an idea as it is, there could be some drawbacks."

The others soon joined in and explained the situation at hand.

Smokescreen: "Yeah. For example, you don't have any Autobot or Decepticon insignia on you. Which pretty much make you all Neutrals, Cybertronians that have no side in the war."

Bulkhead: "That's right. During the war, most of the Neutrals got killed if they didn't join the Decepticon cause."

Wheeljack: "Let's not forget that all of you are recruits to begin with. We know you did a heck of a job taking on those MECHicons. But they had little experience with their Cybertronian bodies. These Decepticons though, are a lot more different from MECH. From their firepower to their forces, you three recruits wouldn't stand a chance against them."

The three looked at them and were a little confused by this. Miko then looked at the Wrecker that talked about the situation with the Cons and couldn't believe he said that.

Miko/Kaosu: "Really Jackie? You said that it's too dangerous to take on Decepticons when you jump right into the action many times. Aren't you being a little over protective?"

Wheeljack looked towards her and explained about it.

Wheeljack: "That's completely different. Of course, we Wreckers risk our protoform skin to protect our planet, but you are a cadet. Not all cadets could make it through the first firefight. You of all cadets should know this."

The Wrecking Cadet looked at him and had a strange look to her.

Miko/Kaosu: "You must have been talking to my dad as of late, were you?"

But Arcee just told the three that this was a no-go.

Arcee: "Still, It's too dangerous for you three to take on an army of Cons all by yourself. You wouldn't last nano clicks from the first one you see."

The three were surprised that Team Prime was so leery about letting them go by themselves into the Decepticon citadel. But Jack insisted that they needed to go.

Jack/Rodimus: "Oh come on Arcee! You can't be serious about this!"

But the femme insisted that they shouldn't go.

Arcee: "No Rodimus! We're dead serious! You can't just go in there and think you can take on these Cons by yourselves. You've got another think coming!"

June, Altra, then came in and told his son not to do it as well.

June/Altra: "Arcee's right, Rodimus. If you go in there to fight Decepticons then that's the last thing you would ever do. Believe me when I say this, you would be more then grounded when this is over."

Jack looked right at his mother and couldn't believe what he heard. Not only that his mother didn't want him to take part in the rescue, but also the entire team! He felt really upset about this. But he remembered Vector Prime's words, saying that he has to save Optimus from his spark being extinguished. So he looked at everyone and told them what he thought.

Jack/Rodimus: "Listen, I know you are all unsure about the three of us going to take on Decepticons on our own. But you should think about this for a moment. If all of you decided to rescue Optimus, then none of you would last against a huge army. And besides, we managed to hold our own after the MECH incident. If it wasn't for us, then the Director would've done more than just extract Intel from you. So be thankful that we saved your sorry afts! So if you have any other idea for rescuing our leader, I would love to hear it."

The group remained quiet throughout the whole thing and began to wonder. Sure, they needed to save their leader. But they can't just go in there, guns blazing against an army of Cons. Besides, who knows what surprises they would have in store for the team? Bringing recruits though, is a whole lot worse. Still, Rodimus must have something planned for the rescue mission. So Arcee looked at her partner and asked about it.

Arcee: "Okay Rodimus, if you're going to go rescue Optimus, what are you going to do?"

Jack thought this through and wondered what to do in this rescue mission. Almost immediately, he came up with a good plan and told the team about it.

Jack/Rodimus: "Okay… It's obvious that the Decepticon citadel will have an army, and they will likely have defenses protecting the base against any hostile attacks. But maybe there won't be much in the way of defenses within the fortress. If we could find a way into the fortress without encountering those defenses…"

That's when Sari perked up and knew what he was planning.

Sari: "You can easily access the base without getting into too much trouble. Then you can contact the team to bridge into the fortress so you can start the rescue!"

She turned to her dad and was proud with what she had done.

Sari: "Do you like how I put that together dad?"

The professor sighed to himself and agreed with his daughter.

Professor Sumdac: "Yes Sari… You certainly know how to piece things together."

Arcee heard that plan and was intrigued by it.

Arcee: "So what you're saying that the three of you will head into Con territory to reach where Optimus is being held captive and then call us for a bridge so we can conduct a surprise attack from within the fortress?"

Rodimus shrugged his shoulders and responded.

Jack/Rodimus: "Uh huh. Pretty much…"

Arcee rubbed her chin and had a coy grin to her face.

Arcee: "Hmm… That doesn't sound like a really bad plan, partner. Maybe you could be leader some day."

Jack just blushed a little, and felt a little embarrassed by that. Ratchet then thought of it as a really good idea, but there is one thing missing.

Ratchet: "Though that plan would work, there is still the issue of contacting us. From what Fowler said, there were people in that town that didn't make it out of there. And with that barrier, communications to the base would be severed. How are you going to contact us once you reach enemy territory?"

There was some thought to it until the former teen figured out how to contact them.

Jack/Rodimus: "We take over the enemy's communications."

The team was silent about this as Wheeljack talked about it.

Wheeljack: "Breach enemy comms? That sounds like a long stretch. How are you going to pull that off?"

Jack turned to the Wrecker and told him his theory.

Jack/Rodimus: "If I were to guess, I would say that the fortress the Decepticons have set up has a communications facility. If we were to gain entrance into that facility, then we should be able to contact you guys to bridge there, right into the heart of the place."

Bumblebee: _**(And what would happen if the Cons find out that you are in the place?)**_

That's when Firewall came in and told his best friend about it.

Raf/Firewall: "They won't… With my hacking ability I can plant a virus into the mainframe, making sure that the Cons don't find out we're in there. Plus I will make sure Soundwave doesn't trace any call that is suspicious."

Bee looked right at the hacker and was a little unsure about that.

Bumblebee: _**(Are you sure you know what you're doing Raf? I don't want you to get hurt.)**_

Raf smiled and told his best friend he got it.

Raf/Firewall: "Don't worry about me Bee. I've been through worse, remember?"

The scout listened to him and remembered the time that Raf nearly got killed by Megatron's dark energon blaster. Nodding in agreement, he remained quiet as Arcee decided to ask them if this was a wise idea.

Arcee: "Rodimus, we're taking about three rookies that have only been in training over the past vorn taking on an army of Decepticons and a fortress that could be filled with weapons of unimaginable power. Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

Jack looked to her and responded with a nod and a serious look.

Jack/Rodimus: "Of course, Arcee. Even if we're not more experienced than the rest of you, we are ready to take on anything that stands in our way."

The femme lowered her helm and sighed very deeply, worried that her third partner and best friend could do something as risky as this. But being that they have little time, she must let him go on this mission in order to save Optimus. So looking up to him she smiled slightly and gave out a slight pun.

Arcee: "Then this could be the smartest plan you ever had, or the most stupid. I just hope that you get through it alive."

She then turned to the others and told them what to do.

Arcee: "All right, you heard the recruit; we have to prepare ourselves for a rescue mission. Get everything ready for the coming battle! The mission starts two weeks ago. Move!"

Almost immediately, everyone left the command room to get themselves armed up and ready for the mission ahead. At the same time, Raf approached the ground bridge controls and plugged his cables in his arm compartments to start matching the energy frequency between the bridge and the Con's dome while Ratchet observed. Once everyone left, Arcee and Jack were alone. She approached him and placed her servo on his chest plate. Looking up to his optics she had a concerned look on her face as she told him what she really thought of this mission.

Arcee: "Jack, listen… I know you want to rescue Optimus as much as any of us. But this is a big risk you're taking and it may cost you your life. I mean, why go to such lengths just to save him?"

The moment she asked that question, the teen remembered the words Vector Prime told him in his dream.

Vector Prime: _**"I foresee a great destiny ahead of you. The path is uncertain, but this destiny you will face will ultimately change the course of this war."**_

Remembering those words, he smiled to himself and answered the two-wheeler's question trustfully.

Jack/Rodimus: "Let's just say, I have my reasons."

* * *

As that was going on, everything was quiet at Darkmount, with the exception of jets flying around the tower, keeping watch. Within the fortress, Megatron and Starscream were walking down the hall, approaching the main elevator that would take them to the top. The second in command still remembered the interrogation of the Autobot leader and said out loud to his master.

Starscream: "Got to admit, for a Prime he's certainly quite a stubborn bot."

Megatron overheard that and agreed with his commander.

Megatron: "Indeed he is Starscream. It is obvious that Prime will drag this out until his demise. But that will not come, as I want him alive, for he does have information regarding the whereabouts of the Autobot's locations."

Scream was a little quiet about this as he looked to his leader and asked about it.

Starscream: "Yes… A pity that we need him online since neither our forces nor our Intel officer can locate the team's energon signatures. Shutting him down would've been the wisest of options when we found him in the rubble."

Megatron: "Perhaps you're right. But being that Optimus holds vital information, we don't have a choice in the matter. The Autobots must be found and dealt with quickly, before they could save their precious leader."

Starscream: "But of course my lord."

He then immediately stopped walking and realized what the leader just said. Find the Autobots before they could free their leader? That sounds completely preposterous! So he talked to Megatron about it.

Starscream: "Er… Run that by me again master."

Megs turned to his second in command and spat back.

Megatron: "Idiot! We haven't heard a word from the Autobots since they left their base and they've hidden their signatures all too easily. Suppose they managed to regroup after all of these solar cycles. That could spell trouble for my plan. Even as we speak, they may be planning to rescue their Prime. I cannot let that happen."

The commander listened in and found it highly unlikely.

Starscream: "Even if they attempted a rescue mission my lord, I don't think it's possible. Darkmount is a heavily fortified base, armed with the latest weaponry that could flatten an entire army. Plus the barrier that is over us protects this fort from the humans outside. No one could get in, not even the Autobots."

Megatron looked at him intently and let him know about their enemy.

Megatron: "Are you forgetting something Starscream? The Autobots don't give up so easily. Sooner or later, they will bypass our barrier and breach our defenses. And when that happens, they will stop at nothing in saving their only Prime. If I am to rule this planet, the Autobots need to be destroyed. What I need is a game changer."

Just then, they heard the comm in his helm beeping and wondered what it could be. He placed his digit on his helm and responded.

Megatron: "Yes, what is it?"

He heard the sound of Knockout through the comm channel as he told him important news.

Knockout: _"Forgive the interruption my lord, but Shockwave called. He said he completed his weapon and is ready to present it to you."_

The leader smirked and was pleased to hear this bit of news.

Megatron: "Excellent. Have Soundwave lock the spacebridge coordinates from his lab on Cybertron to my throne room. I would like to see his weapon with my own optics."

He then ended the communication as Starscream overheard the conversation between the leader and the doctor.

Starscream: "So, Shockwave has finally completed this ultimate weapon you wanted. He definitely took his sweet time. For a scientist like him, he should know better than to keep you waiting this long."

The leader turned to his commander and told him about Shockwave.

Megatron: "You are right about Shockwave taking his time in creating this weapon for me. But he is my most loyal of subjects and a key factor when it comes to making the most dangerous of weapons. I am certain that whatever he created, it will tip the scales in our favor."

With that said, he turned away and headed to the main elevator that will take him to his throne room. Starscream though remained quiet as he grunted to himself.

Starscream: "Humph… For a scientist noble to our cause, he's certainly a suck up to Megatron."

He then started to follow his leader and headed up to the throne room.

* * *

At the top of the tower, things were a little quite. Megatron was continuously tapping his one pointy digit on his huge throne with Knockout on his right side and Soundwave and Starscream in front of him. Just then, a green energy portal came to life and appeared on the other end of the throne room with a couple a Vehicons close by. Slowly a huge figure was coming out of the portal, taking its time in getting out. Once it fully came out, Megatron was pleased to see who it was. Stepping out of the space bridge was a Decepticon with a big, bulky frame, a mix of dark purple and dark gray armor with glowing purple markings in some places, a huge cannon attached to his left arm, and a huge red optic that covered the front of his helm. This huge Con was none other than Shockwave, the Decepticon's leading scientist and most loyal servant to Megatron. The leader looked at him and smiled with utter delight.

Megatron: "Ah, Shockwave… So nice of you to come back after a long absence."

The scientist bowed down graciously and responded to his leader's welcome.

Shockwave: "Lord Megatron, it is an honor to serve under your leadership."

Starscream though was a little irritated by his presence and decided to cut to the chase.

Starscream: "Yes, yes… Nice that you've come back after leaving that town a desolate wasteland. But we're not here for your formalities. We are here to see this weapon of yours after spending two Earth weeks building it."

Shockwave turned to the first lieutenant and asked him about something.

Shockwave: "And it is an honor to see you Starscream. I am hoping that you managed to locate the Autobot survivors while I was away."

There was a bit of silence with the second in command as he chuckled a little trying to explain to him about it.

Starscream: "Uh… Yes, well we've been working on locating the Autobot vermin and snuff out their sparks. But they've been in hiding for a long period of time and all of our efforts and resources have been proven fruitless."

The scientist looked at him with his one red optic and wasn't pleased with the results.

Shockwave: "So you have failed in capturing and destroying the Autobots. That's highly illogical…"

That got the commander's rage boiling as he spat back to him.

Starscream: "Highly illogical? And where were YOU while we were searching for THEM?! Do you have any idea how hard it is locating a few Autobots on a planet this HUGE?"

Megatron noticed the fight and decided to break it up before it could get a little ugly.

Megatron: "Enough Starscream! I do believe he has the solution for our situation."

The commander looked up to his leader and knew he meant business and didn't want to suffer from his servos. So he cautiously stepped back and decided to leave this argument to a later time. Megatron then looked down at his leading scientist and apologized.

Megatron: "Forgive my second in command, Shockwave. Starscream has been a little aggravated after his long exile many decacycles ago. Though he does make a compelling case in the matter. Even if the Autobots have scattered after the destruction of their base, they managed to mask their energon signatures quite well. None of my forces have found them on land or in the air and Soundwave here is unable to get a lock on any of their signals. And due to this failed search and destroy mission, I fear that the Autobots have managed to regroup and are planning a rescue attempt of their leader, Optimus Prime. I'm hoping that this weapon you created will solve all of our problems."

Shockwave listened to the situation the Decepticons are in and had the solution for it.

Shockwave: "Of course. But what I've created is no ordinary weapon."

The leader looked at him oddly and was curious with what he's up to.

Megatron: "It's not?"

The scientist nodded and decided to introduce his latest creation to him.

Shockwave: "No… I present to you, my liege, the ultimate Autobot hunter."

He then turned his attention to the portal that was still there as something huge slowly came out of the portal. Its monstrous claw clanked on the metal floor with a huge thud as the metallic beast gave a low growl. The Vehicons stumbled back as his metallic monster went past them with its tail whipping from behind. Starscream and Knockout stepped back in complete and utter fear of this brute, as Soundwave remained silent as he looked at the creature before him. But Megatron remained where he was as he stood up from his throne and was amazed by this monstrosity before him. Shockwave could tell that he'd gotten everyone's attention now as he introduced the latest addition to the Decepticon armada.

Shockwave: "Allow me to introduce to you my latest and greatest creation. Predaking!"

The moment he said that, the creature known as Predaking roared out loud with its wings spread high into the air. Every Decepticon, no matter their rank, cowered in fear at this beast. But for Megatron, he stood his ground as his state of shock changed into a gleeful grin. He knew that this monster was what he needed to end the Autobots. He had found his game changer.

* * *

**Oh snap! Now that's the mother of all cliffhangers. Now I saw the Beast Hunters episode 'Scattered' and had to extend the last scene of it just to make my episode more interesting. As for Predaking himself, I will keep him on hold until near the end of the episode. Think he would make a good boss for the end along with another surprise I'm keeping to myself until I reveal it. Until then, stay tune for the next chapter where the Autobot recruits prepare to leave to save the Autobot leader as Optimus gets a vision, and a message that can ultimately change the face of the great war. Please Review.**


	4. Prophecy

**Well, got another short chapter updated today. Got to say, this episode is coming along quite nicely, even if the chapters are getting short. But I think this time you have to wait for the next chapter. See, it's going to be mostly action driven and it would take long to write. I know that there are some readers that wanted action into my stories. The thing is that I need to add some drama and characterization into this story as well. If I did mostly action, then the story could get a little boring, if not repetitive. So please understand that I want to make it feel like an actual episode being played instead of a huge explosion fest. Now on the last chapter, it was really busy as always. Eight reviews and over five hundred hits! You guys are really starting to make my day. Oh and for those that figured something out on my review. Yes, I put that Tron Uprising scene in that chapter for the guards to talk. I thought it was fitting being that both Optimus and Tron are brave leaders and never show fear and pain to their enemies. And if you think that is cool, got a really good idea from a Tron Uprising episode that would fit well into my third season ark. Time to see what's going to happen on the next chapter of Prime. Jack, Raf, and Miko prepare to leave and rescue Optimus from the clutches of the Cons. But at the same time, someone unexpected comes to the leader to deliver a message that would forever change this war. What could it mean?**

**Chapter Notes**

**I just wanted to add this one scene I saw in the Dark Knight Rises. It seems pretty interesting and would match the field in the chapter. I'm certain that when you read it, you know what it is. I've also wanted to add a little scene that came out of the very first episode of Red vs. Blue with a few alterations. I think it would be really funny, if not serious. Besides, I needed to flesh out the two Vehicons that are guarding Optimus's prison.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers Prime**

* * *

Chapter Four: Prophecy

An hour later in the Lake Erie base, the team was fully prepared for their rescue mission. They got their blasters charged, their energon intake full, and their weapons sharpened as they prepared themselves for the coming battle. But before they could strike, the recruits needed to first reach the Decepticon fortress and enter the comm facility so they could then contact the base to let Team Prime inside. At the ground bridge controls, Raf was working feverishly, getting the energy field of the ground bridge to match that of the force field that was protecting the Decepticons. He was inputting codes left and right as the cables attached to him entered the modifications into the bridge. Ratchet looked at the screen and wondered whether he was finished.

Ratchet: "Well Raf, any luck yet?"

Firewall, his visor filled with streaming data, turned to the medic and answered him.

Raf/Firewall: "Just about, Ratch. I just need to add a little more code into the system so that the bridge exactly matches the shield's energy field."

However as he was doing that, Miko stood there feeling a little bored as she yawned in agony.

Miko/Kaosu: "That's what you said to us an hour ago! Can't you just finish already so we can go a bust some heads?"

The hacker turned to the wrecking cadet and sighed to himself.

Raf/Firewall: "Hacking into a system takes time and patience, Miko. I rush it too fast and it could lead to some serious and dangerous risks. Sometimes slow and steady wins the race."

Now Kaosu was annoyed as she reminded him about her style.

Miko/Kaosu: "Yeah, well, slow and steady isn't my forte. Just hurry it up already! I'm bored out of my processor here!"

Both Bulkhead and Wheeljack noticed their cadet feeling a little impatient as they tried to ease her.

Bulkhead: "Take it easy, Miko. You can't just rush into a battlefield without considering the consequences. I should know, I've been there."

Wheeljack: "Bulk's right girl. Sometimes you need to relax and enjoy the peace before the storm comes."

The wrecking cadet looked at the two and felt a little annoyed by this.

Miko/Kaosu: "Easy for you two to say. You're looking at a femme that had to suffer through every detention in school. Now that's a whole lot worse than the Cons."

While they were talking, Jack wasn't listening. He was standing against a wall looking at the Vector Sigma Key in his servo. Believe it or not, that dream he had with Vector Prime was still fresh in his processor, as he remembered every word of it. From what he could piece together, Rodimus has a destiny on which to embark, and it starts with rescuing Optimus from his imprisonment. Indeed it was a long stretch, but with the help of the team, he knew he could save him. There was, however, one issue he had to deal with. When he asked Vector why he delivered the message to him when he could have told the other Autobots about it. Vector's reply was that he already knew the answer. Jack had no clue what that meant and didn't get anything else out of it, as the dream ended. What did Vector mean by him already knowing the answer? Does this connect with the destiny he has to face? While Jack was pondering this, Arcee's voice interrupted his thoughts.

Arcee: "Feeling okay partner?"

Rodimus's audio receptors perked up, and turning to the right, he saw the femme looking at him with a slightly worried expression on her face. Taking a deep breath, the former teen started to respond to her as simply as he could, without revealing certain things Vector had told him.

Jack/Rodimus: "Um… Yeah. Yeah. I'm fine. Just a little nervous is all. I mean it's my first real mission right? Sometimes you got to be a little nervous when it comes to your first assignment."

Arcee gave a quiet chuckle and reminded him about her first time.

Arcee: "You know, I was like you when I went on my first mission."

Jack looked at her and was surprised by that.

Jack/Rodimus: "You were?"

The two-wheeler nodded and explained about her first mission.

Arcee: "I was hesitant about going into a mission because I had just graduated from my ninja training. But I had my sister with me at the time, and Elita watched out after me and protected me. But as I grew older I learned to defend myself and fight my way through thick and thin. Even with the death of Tailgate and Cliffjumper, I had to grow strong and move on with my life, even if it meant worrying about what's bound to happen the next day. Now I know you are nervous about all of this, but you have your friends that will help you out; we won't be far behind once you reach the citadel. You have nothing to worry about."

Jack smiled, knowing that what Arcee said is true. Sure, he's tense about the whole mission, but he'll have the Autobots at his side and his friends throughout. So with them, he can actually get through without any problems. While he was thinking about it, the femme placed her servo on his and held on to it, easing his concerns.

Arcee: "Hey, you will do fine, Jack. As long as you don't get caught by Cons, I say you have a chance of reaching the Con fortress in one piece."

Jack nodded at his partner and appreciated her advice and words of encouragement. But then Arcee noticed the key resting on Jack's very same servo that she was holding and asked about it.

Arcee: "Hey Jack! Maybe you should leave the key in the base while you rescue Optimus. The last thing we want is for Megatron to have it and do who knows what with it."

The young mech looked at the key and worried about leaving it. So he looked at her and told her that he wouldn't.

Jack/Rodimus: "Thanks for the advice Arcee. But I don't want to lose it like I did the last time."

The two-wheeler removed her servo from his and smiled, remembering that he lost that key during MECH's capture.

Arcee: "Duly noted…"

Just as she said that, they all heard the voice of Raf close by.

Raf/Firewall: "Got it! The last of the code has been input and we're ready to go into the bridge."

Ratchet looked at all of the programming that Raf had assembled and was hesitant.

Ratchet: "Are you certain that this will work?"

The hacker gave off a sly grin and responded as he typed a few keys to reactivate the ground bridge.

Raf/Firewall: "Watch this."

Once he hit enter, the bridge close to them started to hum to life and was activated. At the same time, the digital map for the bridge appeared with the one spot with the title, _'undetermined'_ over where the Decepticon dome was located. Once the bridge was fully charged, the two took a closer look at the spot to see the title blink a couple of times until finally it disappeared from the display. The medic looked at that and was in awe by the end result.

Ratchet: "By the all spark… You did it. You actually did it!"

Ratchet was excited that Firewall managed to do the impossible, and he responded with a smile.

Raf/Firewall: "What can I say? I can handle whatever's thrown at me."

The others looked on and were in awe that Raf could pull something off like that so easily. But being that he's now Cybertronian and can access any system imaginable, it's all pretty much a cakewalk for him. Miko then got up and sighed in relief knowing that he was just about finished.

Miko/Kaosu: "Finally! Now we can get into some real action."

The others look at her and could tell that no matter how much she has changed, she is still their Miko. The team then started to join in for the briefing, but Jack quietly opened a compartment to his side and placed the Vector Sigma key into it, just so he wouldn't lose it. As soon as the group gathered, Ratchet turned to remind everyone about the plan.

Ratchet: "All right, I'm pretty sure you all know the plan. But let me repeat just to give you a better understanding. Our mission is simple: to rescue Optimus Prime from the clutches of Megatron. The problem is that our leader is a prisoner in the very fortress the Decepticons have created thanks to the Omega Lock. Fortunately, we now have a way of bridging past their barrier and into their base. Still, there is the risk of bringing all of you into enemy territory, given that the Cons are still searching for you. That is except for you three."

He then turned to Jack, Raf, and Miko and continued on with the plan.

Ratchet: "Since you three are now Cybertronian, it will make it easier for you to sneak by and enter the fortress. Once you're in, find a communication outpost and contact us so we can bridge into enemy territory and rescue Optimus. Since the barrier could scramble your comms once you're inside, it would seem their communications are the only option we have left. Remember though, this is a recon mission, not a full frontal assault. As long as you stay clear of any scouting parties, I'm certain you will be all right."

Jack nodded and agreed with the medic.

Jack/Rodimus: "Don't worry Ratchet; we'll make sure we don't get into trouble."

Ratchet nodded and went back to the controls to lock onto the coordinates.

Ratchet: "Excellent! Now, I can't bridge you in or near the compound or you will arouse suspicion within the ranks. It could also mean trouble if the Decepticons go into the bridge and attack this base just like the last one. So I'm bridging the three of you just within the barrier wall borders where a road will take you to Jasper. But I have to warn you: once you enter the town, it's not going to be the same when you left."

The former young teen nodded and remembered how the great war of Cybertron destroyed the entire planet.

Jack/Rodimus: "I've seen what the war did to your planet, Ratchet. I know what we're up against."

Ratchet peeked back and nodded in approval.

Ratchet: "At least you know you're prepared for the aftermath. Coordinates are set. Preparing to bridge when you are ready."

Rodimus turned to the tunnel that will take them to Optimus and knew what to do. But looking back at the team, his friends, he decided to do one more thing before leaving. He turned back to Ratchet and asked if they would say something to the team.

Jack/Rodimus: "Actually Ratchet, you think it's all right if we say goodbye to our friends before we leave?"

The medic looked at the other Autobots and knew that the kids wanted to say their farewells. He then turned back to Jack and nodded in approval.

Ratchet: "Of course Rodimus, you can say your goodbyes. Just make it quick, time is short."

The young mech nodded as the three recruits went to their respective guardians and teachers, saying their adieus. Miko went to her Wrecker friends and said her final departure words.

Miko/Kaosu: "Well guys, this is it. Time for this cadet to go down and bash some metal heads. I just hope you two wish me the best of luck."

Both Jackie and Bulk looked at their friend and had smiles on their faces.

Bulkhead: "Wish you the best of luck? Miko, you've always had luck on your side when you came to us. You did save me on a couple of occasions, am I right? I'm certain you can save Optimus from those Decepticreeps with what we taught you."

Wheeljack: "Bulk's right kid. You've certainly got the Wrecker fire in you. Go out there and kick some Decepticon tailpipes. Just make sure you save some for us, all right?"

Kaosu smiled and knew that they were itching for a fight and followed his promise.

Miko/Kaosu: "Don't sweat it; I'll make sure there are some left over for you to scrap."

She then pounded her fists and had a devious smirk to her face. Meanwhile, Raf was with Bumblebee and said his byes as well.

Raf/Firewall: "Bee, I know I might be a little young for this. But I have to help the others in rescuing Optimus. Please understand I don't have a choice in the matter."

The scout nodded and understood where he was going with this.

Bumblebee: **_(I understand… I was like you when I was your age. Well, a certain age in Cybertronian terms actually. I was sort of afraid about going into war and I worried whether I would ever get out of a battle alive. I nearly paid a hefty price that one time.)_**

He then rubbed his neck and remembered the day that he lost his voice box from Megatron. But he sucked it up and told his friend some special words of advice.

Bumblebee: **_(But you shouldn't be afraid, Raf. You need to be brave for yourself. And you got others on your side to help protect you. As long as you have that, you got nothing to be afraid of.)_**

Raf listened to those words of advice and knew what Bee wanted him to do. He then smiled and thanked him for those words.

Raf/Firewall: "Thanks Bee for those words of advice. I'm certain they will be really helpful."

Bumblebee chirped with glee and wished him the best of luck.

Bumblebee: **_(Good luck out there, friend. Try not to get yourself hurt.)_**

Raf laughed a little and told him that it was all right.

Raf/Firewall: "Thank you Bee. I'll try to be careful."

As that was going on, Jack was with Arcee, Smokescreen, and his mother telling them that he was ready to leave.

Jack/Rodimus: "So this is it huh? My first real mission. I hope none of you are worried about me leaving."

Smokescreen and Arcee looked at each other could tell that he wanted to know if they were worried for him. The two-wheeler though looked at him with a pleasing smile and told him to not worry about it.

Arcee: "Now don't get too worked up over that, partner. I know that you can do what's right for the team. A little bit risky, maybe. But I know that you and the others can pull this through."

The Elite Guard member then turned to him and told him that everything will be fine.

Smokescreen: "Arcee's got a point, Jack. You and the others have saved our lives from the Director. I'm certain that you can save Optimus's as well. Just try not to rush in on the action."

Rodimus looked him and had a coy smirk on his face.

Jack/Rodimus: "Really Smoke? I'm going to listen to an Autobot that rushed into a battle just to retrieve the Star Saber sword?"

Smoke shrugged his shoulders and responded the best way he could.

Smokescreen: "Hey! I thought of it as a little learning experience for me."

Both partners laughed about that and couldn't help but to feel sorry for the Smokescreen's folly. But when Jack turned to his mother, he noticed that she was quiet throughout the whole thing and saw a small energon tear coming down her cheek. Feeling concerned for her, he approached her and placed his servo on her shoulder, trying to ease her troubles.

Jack/Rodimus: "Hey mom, is everything okay?"

June looked to her son and tried to be cool about it.

June/Altra: "Yeah Jack, everything's fine. It's just that… It's just that my only son is going to leave me. I mean I knew that it was bound to happen one day. But never in my wildest dreams would it be something of this magnitude. I just can't really believe that it's happening."

Jack stared at his mother and knew she was hurting at the fact that he was leaving to save the Autobot leader. But he knew that he was coming back and he knew that he will meet with her again. Knowing this, he told her not to be upset about it.

Jack/Rodimus: "It's okay mom! It's okay… I'm not going to leave you. It's just one mission, that's all. Once we reach the fortress and regain communications, we will see each other again. I promise."

June looked up to him with distressed optics and wondered if he was telling the truth.

June/Altra: "Are you sure about that? Because I don't want to lose you."

Jack just smiled at her and told her that it won't be a problem.

Jack/Rodimus: "Don't fret mom; I will be okay. You have my word."

June smiled a little and knew that her son will be fine. But there was still some worry in her. Arcee saw this and gave her a quick option.

Arcee: "You know June, if you want, you can go with Jack on the mission. A mission this serious could use a medic in the field."

Altra looked at the femme and didn't want to do that.

June/Altra: "Thanks for the offer Arcee. But after what happened back at the Morrison Dam, I would pass on that."

There was a slight chuckle from the two-wheeler as she couldn't help but feel sorry for her after the MECH incident. Just then, Ratchet looked at the team and told them to move.

Ratchet: "Are you all done with your farewells? Cause Optimus can't save himself! Let's go!"

The three turned to Ratchet and noticed that he was a little bit impatient. So they ended the talks and were about to leave. But before they could do anything…

Sari: "Hey guys! Wait up!"

The group looked down to see Sari rushing into the room with Sam and the professor close behind, trying to stop her. The team looked at her oddly and wondered what she wanted.

Jack/Rodimus: "Sari? What are you doing here?"

Professor Sumdac managed to get a hold of his daughter and told the others what happened.

Professor Sumdac: "I'm sorry everyone. My daughter left my sight the moment I turned away. I should've been more careful with her."

Sari though pulled her hand away from her dad and told him not to do that.

Sari: "Please dad… I'm sixteen! I'm not a little kid anymore! So stop treating me like one."

She then looked at the Autobots to say something important to them.

Sari: "You are going to rescue your leader right? Well I'm coming with you!"

There was a harsh silence within the group and they couldn't believe that this girl would want to join in on the mission. But being that the recruits were entering dangerous territory, they couldn't let any more humans get hurt. Arcee then stepped in and told her not to come.

Arcee: "Uh-uh Sari. Forget it. You're not going out there."

That got the teen upset as she looked at the femme and told Arcee her own two cents.

Sari: "What?! Oh come on guys, you've got to be kidding me! I've already helped you out on a couple of occasions back at the dam."

Arcee: "Yeah, but that was with the fight with Blackout. This is now a war! We can't let a human get dragged into our fight. It could be dangerous!"

Miko overheard that and snickered to herself, telling Arcee about her experience.

Miko/Kaosu: "I don't know Arcee. After what happened in the past, it's a little too late for that."

The two-wheeler turned to her and argued back.

Arcee: "Watch it Kaosu. What happened with you is in the past. When the cons attacked Jasper, it's clear that they wanted to exterminate humanity to the brink. If we bring humans into this mission, Megatron's forces wouldn't hesitate in adding them to their ever-growing list."

She finished her opinion by letting Sari know about this loud and clear.

Arcee: "Long story short girl, you're NOT going!"

Once Sari heard the femme bot's response, she crossed her arms and grunted to herself.

Sari: "Humph… Fine… Whatever…"

But then, she got a devious idea and cleared her throat.

Sari: "Would you excuse me? I need to go to the little girl's room."

She quietly walked away as she hid the smirk that was on her face. But Sam noticed her leaving and wondered what she was up to this time. So he followed her, making sure that she didn't get into any more trouble. As the two left, Smokescreen sighed in relief and knew they dodged a bullet on that one.

Smokescreen: "Phew… That was a close one. Is she always like that?"

He turned to the professor to get an answer. Sumdac looked right at the Elite Guard member and gave him an explanation.

Professor Sumdac: "Unfortunately, yes. She mostly takes after her mother's side, always the adventurous type."

Ratchet overheard that and peeked right at Miko.

Ratchet: "Really? I wonder who it reminds me of?"

The Wrecking cadet saw the medic staring at her and lifted her arms up in protest.

Miko/Kaosu: "Hey! Why are you looking at me like that?"

Ratchet rolled his optics around and decided to get back to the task at hand.

Ratchet: "Forget about it. Let's focus on our mission. We've already wasted enough time as it is. Setting coordinates for bridging. Stand by."

He started to input the coordinates that will take the recruits into the dome and away from any Decepticons. Once he had the destination set, he pulled the lever to activate the bridge itself. The bridge then started to hum to life as the rings around the tunnel lit up. In a matter of seconds, the blue and green vortex appeared before them and swirled around the white light in the middle. Ratch then turned to the recruits and told them to begin their mission.

Ratchet: "Ground bridge activated. Whenever you're ready."

The three recruits nodded and turned to their guardians and teachers, saying their final farewells. Kaosu and Firewall were the first to leave as they stood in front of the portal that would take them to Optimus. But before Rodimus would leave, Arcee looked at him to tell him to be careful.

Arcee: "Watch yourself out there, Jack. You are entering dangerous territory from here on out."

Jack shrugged his shoulders and told her that it was all right.

Jack/Rodimus: "Hey, I've been through scrapes worse than this right? I mean, it's a simple rescue mission. How bad could it be?"

The two-wheeler giggled a little and thought his joke was a little cute. She then placed her servos on both his shoulders and eased his troubled processor.

Arcee: "Don't worry about anything, partner. You came up with this plan, and until Optimus is saved, you're in charge of this mission. Don't you dare give up on our leader. He needs you now more than ever."

The former teen nodded and knew this was important for him to save the last of the Primes.

Jack/Rodimus: "After what I did for you and the team recently, I will never give up."

The femme smiled, knowing that she had complete faith in him. But just to be safe, she placed her servos to his helm and tilted his head downward, to give him a quick kiss to the forehead. Jack was a little surprised by this, but let it all slide just like she kissed him on the cheek that night. But the others were a little silent and didn't know that the strict cyber ninja had such sympathy for the recruit. Miko though just snickered about it and started to wonder if the two had a thing going right now. Still though, they ignored that as Arcee let go of the kiss and smiled to her partner.

Arcee: "That's for luck. Now go. Optimus is waiting for you."

Jack was a little flushed by that kiss, not more so than the first, but it felt very comforting. Shaking his head to regain his composure, he looked at Arcee with kind optics and thanked her for that.

Jack/Rodimus: "Thanks for that, Arcee. Gonna need all the luck I can get."

With that said, Arcee let go of him as he walked away from her to join the other recruits. Once he got in front of Raf and Miko, he started to give out orders and said the very words Optimus always said.

Jack/Rodimus: "All right! Kaosu! Firewall! Let's get out there and save a Prime. Transform and roll out!"

Almost immediately, the three transformed into their vehicle modes and revved their engines. Jack's is a black and gray trim Hummer H2. Raf's alt mode is an orange brown Scion XB. And for Miko, her car is a McLaren MP4-12C with a purple paint job and pink flame decals on the sides, hood, and trunk. The group watched on as the recruits were prepared to leave. What none of them realized was that something, or two something's, were hiding close by the three and came out of the hiding spot, trying to not get noticed by anyone. These shadows then opened the back door of the Hummer quietly and sneaked into the car. With the door closed, the three recruits pressed on the gas and the tires started spinning, creating smoke out of the back ends. In a quick second, the three vehicles sped out of the base and into the vortex. As the three disappeared, Ratchet turned off the ground bridge lever and the portal closed up, leaving behind a dark tunnel. Ratchet then looked back at the bridge and sighed in worry.

Ratchet: "Well, they're in. Now all we have to do is wait…"

That scared June as she looked at the tunnel and was already missing her son.

June/Altra: "I hope you're right, Ratchet. Because I'm feeling concerned about my son going into enemy territory with his friends."

Arcee turned to the nurse and could tell that she was concerned about her son. She placed her servo on the femme's shoulder and comforted her.

Arcee: "Easy there June. Jack is a strong kid. I'm sure he will take care of himself."

Altra turned to the two-wheeler and smiled slightly, knowing that she was right on one occasion. Just as she felt a little comfortable, Isaac looked towards the direction where Sari and Sam went to and felt a little troubled about something. Smokescreen saw this too and asked about it.

Smokescreen: "Something wrong professor?"

Isaac looked up to the Elite Guard member and was a little unsure how to say it.

Professor Sumdac: "On no. It's nothing really. It's just that… Sari said that she was going to the bathroom right?"

Smoke nodded at that question.

Smokescreen: "Yeah, I heard her say that. Why?"

The professor then pointed to the hall and answered the Autobot's question.

Professor Sumdac: "Well, the restroom is in the hallway down there. Not to mention that she already went to the bathroom an hour ago."

Smokescreen heard of that and thought that it was a little strange. Though as he was trying to figure it out, his optics grew wide and looked at the bridge's tunnel. Sumdac realized it too and knew where Sari really was.

Professor Sumdac: "Oh dear…"

Arcee looked at the two and noticed them feeling a little shocked. Before she could even ask, the she remembered what Sari said and realized where she was really going. She turned to the tunnel as well and uttered a few words.

Arcee: "Oh no she didn't…"

Soon enough, everyone looked at the bridge and realized what the femme was thinking. That's when Ratchet said what they were thinking.

Ratchet: "Oh yes she did. That girl just pulled a Miko…"

* * *

As the mission started, Darkmount was quiet. There had been no word of the Autobots being spotted. But there were whispers about the latest weapon Shockwave presented to the Decepticon leader; that the weapon was a huge metallic-like dragon called Predaking. There was some wariness among the armada, but Megatron told them that the dragon had been taken to a secluded place and was being kept under watch. At least, that is, until the Autobots were found, and then the creature would be released. Meanwhile, in the lower levels underneath the fortress, two Vehicons were standing guard at the entranced of the prison cell where Optimus was held. The first Vehicon was a little quiet as he had something in his processor. Ever since he saw the Autobot leader severely wounded, he began questioning his loyalty to Megatron. So he turned to the second Vehicon and asked him something.

Vehicon 1: "Hey."

The second guard turned to him and wondered what he wanted.

Vehicon 2: "Yeah?"

Vehicon 1: "Do you ever wonder why we're here?"

The second Vehicon thought about that question and came up with a serious answer.

Vehicon 2: "It's one of life's great mysteries isn't it? Why are we here? I mean, are we a product of some cosmic coincidence, or is Primus really watching? You know, with a plan for us and stuff. I don't know man, but it keeps me up at night."

There was an awkward silence between the two as the first Vehicon was a little confused by what he was saying.

Vehicon 1: "What?! No! I mean why are we right here, on this planet?"

The second Vehicon realized what he said and tried to keep his cool.

Vehicon 2: "Oh. Uh… Yeah…"

Vehicon 1: "And what was all that stuff about Primus?"

Vehicon 2: "Uh… Nothing."

Vehicon 1: "You wanna talk about it?"

The guard turned away and decided to ignore that question.

Vehicon 2: "No."

Vehicon 1: "You sure?"

Vehicon 2: "Yeah."

The first guard sighed to himself and went back to the question at hand.

Vehicon 1: "Seriously though, why are we here? Megatron promised us that when this war was over, then we would return to Cybertron to revive it. Now he changes his mind and says that we are conquering this planet now. It's kind of baffling."

The other Vehicon grunted and explained his reason why they were here.

Vehicon 2: "Well, blame it all on the Prime. He was the one that destroyed the Omega Lock and our only hope of restoring our planet. It's his fault he doomed all Cybertronians scattered across the stars. And now, look at the last of the Primes, a prisoner in Darkmount getting tortured for his actions. He deserves to be punished, and you should know that."

The first Vehicon looked back at the cell door Optimus was in and sighed to himself.

Vehicon 1: "I know that, but still… You think our leader is taking this a little too far? Attacking this planet, declaring war against the native species, torturing the Prime to the point of termination. I mean, this is not the promise we wanted."

The second guard stared at him and found his behavior a little off.

Vehicon 2: "Are you questioning your loyalty to our leader?"

The first one turned back and tried to reword his thoughts.

Vehicon 1: "I'm not questioning my loyalty to him. I'm just concerned about his actions as of late. I mean, just think about it. Megatron's got the Omega Keys and the Omega Lock to restore Cybertron. It is something he promised us a long time ago. To end this war and return our planet back to its glory days. But now, he's changed his mind and decided to conquer this planet as well. It's not like him!"

Vehicon 2: "Well, desperate mechs do desperate things. And since the Prime destroyed the Omega Lock, we're stuck on this dust ball of a planet filled with weak organics. It's how it is."

Vehicon 1: "But surely the Prime had his reasons for destroying the only salvation we had left. I'm certain that he wanted Cybertron back to when it wasn't plagued with war and he didn't want this planet to get dragged into it. This is all wrong, even for Megatron! I think that maybe-"

Almost immediately, the second Vehicon turned fully to him and told him to shut up.

Vehicon 2: "You think? Man, don't think of what should've been done! We are now stuck on this rock because of the Prime's selfish and criminal actions. And if Megatron wants to make this planet our new home away from home, then so be it. This is our new life, accept it. Now, not another word from you and your suspicions of our leader's decisions or you'll be court-martialed by our gracious leader himself! It that clear?"

The first guard remained silent as he decided keep his thoughts to himself.

Vehicon 1: "Fine… Whatever you say, man."

So the two went back to their guarding positions and waited for something to happen.

* * *

Back inside the cell, Optimus was still shackled and groaning in agony as he was recovering from the last interrogation. Looking down to his side, he noticed a freshly made scar under his left breastplate where Megatron struck him with his sharp digits. It was the newest of the many scars that he received while being captive. Turning his head away, he sighed and looked back at the events that have unfolded. Being taken to the citadel, punished and tortured, interrogated about his team's whereabouts. And for what? Because he made a valiant choice to destroy the Omega Lock and save Earth. Had he not done this, Earth would have been terraformed into a new Cybertron and the human race would have been exterminated in the process. Even more so, he split his team up while he stayed behind to prevent the Decepticons from knowing their locations. He made the ultimate sacrifices in saving this planet, if only for a short time. But why is he still alive? Indeed, he used his special ability to create a protective dome just seconds before Omega One was destroyed, but he didn't have enough time to make it strong enough. Plus, Megatron would've had the chance to finish him off while he was at his most vulnerable. Yet he kept him alive, just to demand answers of his team's location. Even if the Autobots managed to regroup and move to their new base in Michigan, they wouldn't function well without their leader. Closing his optics, Optimus knew that it was all fruitless. No matter the destiny that was placed on him, the war was over. The Autobots have lost. Just then, he heard a voice that was very familiar to him.

**_"Optimus Prime…"_**

Slowly the Autobot leader opened his optics and turned to the left where the voice was located. Standing close to him was a robot that looked older in appearance, with a white metallic beard, and was glowing blue like that of a ghost. It was obvious that this robot was one of the thirteen original Primes and Optimus's own teacher.

Optimus Prime: "Alpha Trion…"

Alpha nodded and started to talk to his former student. Thankfully though, the room was sealed off from the rest of the fortress, or the guards would've heard something from the other side of the doors.

Alpha Trion: **_"Indeed it is I, Optimus. I came here to talk to you, though I might not have enough time. The power of Primus is limited and I cannot stay here for very long."_**

Optimus sighed and looked down, wondering why his teacher would come at such a time. Alpha though, saw his student feeling worried as he asked about his behavior.

Alpha Trion: **_"I sense doubt within your spark Optimus. Is something wrong?"_**

Opening his optics, Optimus explained what happened to him.

Optimus Prime: "Tell me something my teacher, did you foresee any of this? The Omega Lock being used as a weapon, the Decepticons creating this fortress, the destruction of our base, and the death of the species of this planet. Have you known this was bound to happen?"

Trion slumped his shoulders and sighed heavily, knowing that Optimus would come to that question.

Alpha Trion: **_"No, I have not. The magic of the Primus works in mysterious ways and some futures are undetermined. By the time we knew the true purpose of Megatron's intentions, it was all too late."_**

Optimus heard this and sighed in despair, being that the original Primes would've been unable to prevent any of this from happening. So he lowered his head some more and apologized.

Optimus Prime: "I'm sorry…"

The teacher looked at him oddly and wondered why he was apologizing.

Alpha Trion: **_"For what Orion?"_**

That's when he admitted to the crimes he had caused in front of him.

Optimus Prime: "For the actions I have done. I was the one that used the Star Saber sword to destroy the Omega Lock. And for that I have endangered the lives of every Cybertronian across the universe. I failed them. I failed you. I failed the Prime council. I even failed Primus himself. I hope that you can forgive me for the crime I committed."

There was an eerie calm from the original Prime as he understood what his student was going through. But he also knew that his actions did not lead to the consequences, as he told him that it wasn't his fault.

Alpha Trion: **_"Listen to me, Optimus. What happened on Cybertron wasn't your fault. You never knew what your enemy was really planning until it was too late, and there was no way of avoiding this unexpected event. But what you did on Cybertron was the boldest of decisions. If you hadn't acted on instinct and destroyed the Omega Lock, then Megatron would've won and terraformed the planet you're protecting, killing all those humans in the process. You saved many lives that day and for that the Primes are thankful."_**

The Autobot leader looked to his teacher and was a little surprised that the Primes were thankful for his actions. But that didn't change anything, as Optimus looked down in shame and continued with the conversation.

Optimus Prime: "Even if I saved this planet, I only delayed the inevitable. The Decepticons have now made permanent residence on this planet and have killed off the humans in that small town. They have now declared war on this planet. There's no stopping them now."

The Prime just stood there and knew that he was wrong.

Alpha Trion: **_"No Orion. You still have a destiny to face. You have to end this war that plagued our planet."_**

Optimus looked to him and asked him how he could do that.

Optimus Prime: "And how can I possibly do that when I'm trapped in this prison. It's too late now. The war is over. There is no hope…"

Alpha Trion: **_"There is always hope, Prime. That is why I came here. To deliver a message."_**

Optimus Prime: "And what message is that?"

Alpha Trion: **_"That a new prophecy has begun."_**

That got Optimus's attention as he looked toward his teacher and was curious about this new prophesy.

Optimus Prime: "A prophecy?"

Alpha Trion: **_"Indeed… A new Prime will be born on this planet. Not much is known about him, but when he comes, he will change the course of this war. Even as we speak, he is coming here to save you from your imprisonment. You, Optimus Prime, will be his mentor and you will train him in becoming a leader. Though he is young, he is very powerful."_**

Optimus was surprised by this unexpected news. A new Prime? Here? He never really thought that it would happen. Still though, he has no idea who this Prime is or what he looks like. So he asked Alpha Trion about it.

Optimus Prime: "This new Prime you spoke of. Who is he and does he know of this prophesy?"

There was a slight chuckle of the original Prime as he answered the confused leader while fading away.

Alpha Trion: **_"Oh Optimus, have you forgotten? You've already met the new Prime…"_**

The moment he disappeared, Optimus looked down and was in deep thought. There is a new Prime arriving to save him, yet he already met him. What did his teacher mean by those words? Still though, he smiled a little, realizing that there is yet hope as he uttered the words before going into a deep recharge.

Optimus Prime: "A new Prime will come."

* * *

**Done with the fourth chapter. I'm pretty sure most of you know where I'm going with this episode. I just hope you don't spoil anything to other readers that would take a quick guess as to who this new Prime is. Anyways, this will be the last short chapter for today as the next one will be long and action packed. Trust me when I say this, you're going to be surprised in what I have in store on the next chapter. Please Review.**


	5. Darkmount, NV

**Well I said it before in one story; I'll say it again on this one. Henry Cerro, also known as FictionFan1024, had been editing my stories a few months ago. So far, he did a really good job with my Rebirth story and I got to tell you, he certainly does a good editing in his work. Now he's doing some edits in this story as well and has managed to get all four chapters out. You're welcome to reread the four chapters to see the changes. Could be interesting to see. As far as the rest goes, I need to see if he wants to edit the next chapter after I post it up, or send it to him so he can do some editing and he would send it right back. I'm just hoping that FictionFan1024 reads this and wonder if I would send the future chapters to him for a quick edit, or post it up anyways. Let's see what happens. In the last chapter, still a strong response. Got about 14 to 15 reviews and the hit counter is around 750. Really good numbers if I do say so myself. So much so that I decided on posting up a poll for the next chapter. Not going to tell you what it's about. You just have to wait at the end of the chapter. Now then, on to the story! Rodimus, Firewall, and Kaosu journey through the ruins of their old town as they reached the Decepticon fortress. But there are two problems they have to deal with. One: a couple of stowaways joining in on the mission. Two: the Decepticon armada. Will they be able to reach the citadel in time before it's too late? This ones going to be juicy…**

**Chapter Notes**

**Now I know there were readers that didn't like the fact that I've overpowered MECH on my last episode. But I'm certain that what I have in store in this chapter would even things out. Now I will keep those cannons the Con citadel has, but I'm going to add a few more things that will make the Decepticons more intimidating.**

**For example: I'm going to add two more classes that came straight from the Transformers Prime video game. I personally have that game and though a little off with their difficulty curve it was pretty enjoyable. If you guys don't have that game, I suggest finding it and playing it yourself. If not, there is always Youtube videos showing the game walkthrough. Saved two of those videos on my channel and I'm hoping to add an episode involving the game itself with a few changes here and there.**

**Another thing I would like to add is a dangerous weapon from the movie, Battleship. I'm certain you all know about that movie. It was one of the summer's big flop in 2012. There have been some explanations as to why that movie bombed in the box office. My thoughts on this however is that they didn't grasp the story line in Battleship, a movie based on a board game involving one small group of ships taking on another small group of ships, and decided to lazily slap an alien invasion plot for no reason then to make it exciting, which is not. Now I'm not going to extend my thoughts into the movie itself since I already talked about it in a few videos on my Youtube channel _( www .youtube watch?v=OA-uO28YS8c, www .youtube watch?v=fjUYG68E-Ic, and www .youtube watch?v=u6BZoh_67CA)_ but the one thing that looked really cool were those shredders that tore through anything in their path. That looks really awesome, even though they showed up on a few occasions. So I thought it would be cool to add that type of weapon within the Decepticon's ranks as the look screams it. There will be a little more within the story, but I'll save it in future chapters. I'm sure you like how a put all of it together.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers Prime.**

* * *

Chapter Five: Darkmount, NV

Deep in the Nevada desert, the military surrounded the huge dome that was supposed to be Jasper. Everything from tanks, to missile beds, to combat jeeps, to even choppers were on stand by as they wait until something comes out of the dome itself. As the military was waiting, within the dome's borders, it was as quiet as a mouse. Suddenly, a green and blue vortex appeared over the barren freeway and glowed brightly as three shadowy vehicles were speeding out with their engines roaring. Coming out of that said vortex was a Hummer H2, a Scion XB, and a McLaren MP4 12C as they were on the road while the portal closed behind them. Those three vehicles were none other then Jack _'Rodimus'_ Darby, Raf _'Firewall'_ Esquivel, and Miko _'Kaosu'_ Nakadai. As the three exit the portal and driving down the freeway, Miko checked her review mirror and saw the barrier that was holding the military on the outside. Mentally smiling to herself, she talked to Firewall through her dashboard.

Miko/Kaosu: "Whoa… We did it… We've actually made it through! Raf, you rock!"

The hacker just laughed a little on his own dashboard and told her it was nothing.

Raf/Firewall: "Aw, don't thank me Miko. Just doing what I do best."

Miko/Kaosu: "And that's why you're awesome!"

Jack though was listening as he decided to break the talk and told them to focus.

Jack/Rodimus: "Let's worry about celebrating later you two. Right now our objective is to reach the Decepticon citadel. I just hope we don't run into any trouble on the way there."

With that said, he pushed the crank shaft back to go to gear 2 in an attempt to get a little speed on his wheels. Soon enough the three were speeding down the freeway with Jack in the lead while they pass a highway sign that says, _'Jasper: 3'_, totally unaware of what's waiting for them.

* * *

Deep within Darkmount's secret chamber, a huge creature was struggling to get out with chains shackled to its clawed feet and hands. That said creature, which is called Predaking, was trashing around violently as it roared out loud with anger. Yet still, it was trapped in that said chamber until it could be released. On the ceiling, a alien security camera was watching the beast's every move.

At the same time, Megatron, Starscream, and Shockwave, were at the security station in Darkmount while Soundwave was at the controls watching the monster that was moved into the chamber. Since Predaking was revealed in front of the Decepticon leader, Megatron decided that for the safety of his army that this creature be taken to a secluded place until it's time for its release. Looking at this so-called weapon of Shockwave, Megs smirked with a devilish smirk and was pleased with the scientist's work.

Megatron: "Excellent work Shockwave. I got to say, you have certainly outdone yourself."

Starscream though butted in and decided to add his own two cents into the mix.

Starscream: "Yes, truly you've certainly lived up to your status. Though I've got to admit, your presentation was a little over the top."

The Decepticon scientist turned to the commander and reminded him of his work.

Shockwave: "Lord Megatron wanted the best of weaponry to dispose of the Autobots. Logically, I always keep my promises to him."

But the second in command turned to him and was a little unsure of his latest creation.

Starscream: "Still though, you know our master said that he wanted a weapon that could destroy the Autobots, we were kind of hoping for something of a dangerous missile or a device that could blow them up from the inside out. But never in our wildest dreams that something like this could happen to be this monstrosity."

Shockwave: "You dare judge my work?"

Scream just stared at him and told him what he thinks.

Starscream: "No, I don't judge you. However our armada and I are a little weary about that thing you've brought into our base. Can't have a bunch of antsy soldiers scared over this beast."

The leader looked at the two arguing and broke it up quick.

Megatron: "Starscream, show some respect. Shockwave has proven his loyalty to our cause today. Still though, this creation of yours raises a question of my own. How is it you manage to create this magnificent creature without the power of the All Spark?"

The leader turned to Shockwave for an explanation behind his latest work. The scientist though looked to him with his one red optic and explained it all slowly.

Shockwave: "I have my assumptions. Tell me my liege, have you ever heard of the Predacons?"

The leader remembered hearing stories about those creatures, but they were nothing more then stories. Still, after seeing this beast though the security camera, he soon realized that they are more then real.

Megatron: "Only though myths and legends. But I assume you know more about them then me."

Shockwave nodded and continued on.

Shockwave: "But of course Lord Megatron. Many eons ago, before the original Primes were created and Cybertron was born, our planet was once ruled by these beasts called the Predacons. Not much is known about them, but the ancient records proclaimed that these beings roamed the planet and with their predatory nature, attack anything that gets in their way. They were deemed dangerous and nothing wouldn't stop them. But when the All Spark created the Primes and Cybertron, these beings slowly died away, leaving them extinct.

Starscream grunted and told him what everyone knew about them.

Starscream: "Oh please… Common knowledge. Everyone knows about the Predacons, yet never seen one up close, alive or dead."

The Decepticon scientist turned to the commander and told him about what he discovered.

Shockwave: "You're right Starscream. No one has ever seen these Predacons and there were no proof of their existence. That is until decacycles ago."

Megatron listened into this story and was intrigued by what his loyal scientist said. So he told him to go on.

Megatron: "Please, continue…"

Shockwave turned to the leader, nodded, and continued with his explanation.

Shockwave: "While I was exiled after the space bridge incident, my scanners have detected unknown bio signatures from within the Sea of Rust. Curious, I went down to that very location to investigate these unknown signatures. What I found was truly fantastic. Skeletal remains of the Predacons themselves. I've brought one of those fossils into my lab for a diagnosis and what I found was simply stunning. Look at this."

He then approached next to Soundwave and entered a few keys into the console. Just then, a second window appeared next to the security feed and it showed what appears to be the Cybertronian equivalence of human DNA, but more advance then that of a human.

Shockwave: "Answer me, my lord, what do you see?"

Megatron looked right at the screen and realized what it was. Starscream notice it as well and deducted what the leader was thinking.

Starscream: "Cyber Nucleic Acid…"

The scientist turned to the two and explained further.

Shockwave: "That is correct Starscream. CNA, the genetic code for every Cybertronian in existence. While researching these fossils, I came into clarity that there were more to these primitive beasts then meets the eye. Though not much is known as to why they were extinct to begin with, this race shared the same genetic code as all of us, only more ancient then our own. With the equipment that was left behind when the masses scattered along with the research of Project Dinobots what was abandoned due to a failed experiment, I've managed to splice this CNA strand to clone this species while copying the frame work from the fossils I've gathered over the many decacycles. The results were promising… Been going through different methods in creating them and there was a bit of trial and error in between. But of the many success I have in my work, Predaking is my grandest of achievements. Many solar cycles of work and construction have led to this creation. Predaking is more then just a simple Predacon, he is also the perfect specimen, with many strengths and no weaknesses. No Autobot can defeat this being, not even Optimus himself."

Megatron looked at the creature through the video feed and was quite impressed by this creature. This Predaking seems to be the kind of weapon he needed to find the Autobot survivors and neutralize them all. With a devious grin, he congratulated the scientist on a job well done.

Megatron: "You have done well Shockwave. This creature is just what we needed in destroying the Autobots once and for all. As soon as the search parties locate their energon signatures and their locations, I will release this beast and he will tear them apart until there's nothing left of them."

Shockwave was silent about this as he bowed his head down with sheer satisfaction.

Shockwave: "Thank you my liege. I know that my creation is the logical choice in weaponry and he will not fail you."

Starscream though looked at Shockwave and was a little concern about him ever since Knockout and a search party found him while they retrieve the Iacon relics underneath the rubble of the Omega Lock. And although he is a big help in eradicating the humans within that town near their tower, there have been concerns around his presence. And now with this Predaking within the ranks, it will make life on Darkmount a whole lot more complicated. He needs to talk to his leader about this but not with the head scientist in the way. He turned to Megatron and asked for a simple request.

Starscream: "Um… Lord Megatron. Can I have a word with you, in private."

Megs turned to his second in command and was curious with what he wants to talk about.

Megatron: "But of course Starscream."

* * *

A few minutes later in the hallway outside of security station…

Megatron: "What do you want to speak to me about Starscream?"

Starscream and Megatron were near the door as the commander talked about the scientist.

Starscream: "Well my liege, it's about Shockwave. I'm just a little concerned about his presence as of late."

The Decepticon leader looked at his commander and finds his behavior a little off as of late. But being that he is his commander, he would talk him under any circumstances. So he decided to listen to him.

Megatron: "Please, go on."

The second in command was a little silent as he was trying to put this together in words. After getting it all together, he told his leader what he thinks.

Starscream: "Well my master, it's just that… See, no one had heard from Shockwave ever since the incident with the spacebridge decacycles ago. At first, me and our forces thought that he had suffered a fate worse then death. But then after all these months, he came to Knockout and his team while they were retrieving the Iacon relics the Autobots handed to us. It was quite a surprise that he made it out of the explosion and we're glad that he's joined our ranks. Not to mention that he was a big help in destroying that human town and its occupants. But there have been questions about his presence within the armada and I could understand their concerns. And now with this 'thing' in Darkmount, everyone is nervous, extremely nervous."

The leader listened to his explanation and finds that a little off.

Megatron: "Are they now?"

Starscream: "Yes. I mean, you told Shockwave to create a weapon that could destroy our enemies and he came back with a mechanize dragon that was supposed to be instinct. Plus, did you hear what he just said in there? Splicing CNA samples from fossilize tissue, cloning, a variety of testing methods? We have no idea about this creature or what it's capable of. Can we even control this Predaking?"

Almost immediately, Megatron lifted his servo up to him, knowing that he heard enough. He then decided to give his commander his own thoughts.

Megatron: "I know you are surprised by the unexpected arrival of Shockwave. I was quite surprised myself since I thought that he had joined the Well of the Allspark. But given the news of his arrival, he has proven his loyalty since the destruction of that human town. So he's been a key player in my ranks and would make a perfect replacement for Dreadwing. As for Predaking, as worried as my armada is, this creature is a valuable asset in our hunt for the Autobots. I'm certain that Shockwave made this beast obedient to me and knows his place in our army. If not… Well… There is always room for improvement. Don't fret about this Starscream. Once this Predaking eliminate the Autobots and their human companions, then we will have this world as our own."

Feeling confident, the Decepticon leader turned around and walked away from his commander. But Starscream looked back at the door of the security station with Shockwave in there and had a deep sigh.

Starscream: "I should be worried master. I should be…"

* * *

Back in the freeway, it was all peaceful until Rodimus, Firewall, and Kaosu, sped down the road reaching their destination. Jack was looking at his GPS on the dashboard noticed there destination is nearby, so he told the others.

Jack/Rodimus: "Almost reaching Jasper guys. We're just a half a mile away."

He then pulled the shift to another gear as he and the others sped faster to the town. As they were riding down the freeway, Miko remembered about that kiss Arcee gave the former teen in the forehead and was a little curious about that. So getting close to the Hummer, she decided to ask him about that.

Miko/Kaosu: "So Jack, how did it feel with Arcee?"

Rodimus turned his right review mirror to see Kaosu's McLaren and was a little confused.

Jack/Rodimus: "What are you talking about Miko?"

Miko/Kaosu: "Duh Jack. What else would I be talking about? That kiss Arcee gave you before we left!"

The young mech was a little silent and although he's not in robot mode, he could still feel himself getting fluster. So calming himself down, he decided to tell her what really happens.

Jack/Rodimus: "Is that what you're thinking about? That was nothing! Arcee just kissed me in the forehead for good luck. That's all!"

But Kaosu always likes to play coy as she told him what she thinks.

Miko/Kaosu: "Really? Cause that's not what I saw back there. I could've sworn that you were blushing after that kiss."

Now Jack was really embarrassed on the inside as he decided to talk her out of it.

Jack/Rodimus: "Miko, I don't know what gave you that idea. But what happened between me and Arcee is none of your business."

Miko/Kaosu: "Oh come on Jack! Admit it! You're in love with that two-wheeler.

Now Jack had it as he scolded at the Wrecking cadet.

Jack/Rodimus: "And you should know about staying out of personal business! Can't have you going around telling everyone about-"

Before he could actually finish, he overheard Raf calling out to him.

Raf/Firewall: "Guys! Stop!"

Almost immediately, the two turned to the hacker's plea and saw an obscure object blocking the road. They all immediately put on the breaks as the tires screeched to a complete stop, just inches from the object in particular. The second that they made the stop, Jack was a little surprised by this and didn't know what's blocking their way.

Jack/Rodimus: "What the heck…"

Curious by this roadblock, the three transformed into their bipedal modes to get a good look what stopped them. What they found was truly shocking. What they saw was an overturned Greyhound bus lying on its side and it looked like it was on fire before as the burn marks were around the windows. But that wasn't the only thing they saw. There was also a multi car pileup that crashed after the bus overturned and a huge line of cars and busses on the road permanently stuck. Half of them had their doors and trunks opened when people were trying to get out with their bags while the other half looked like they were caught fire a while ago. All around them were tanks and combat jeeps that looked like they were destroyed as the tanks were upside down and parts were scattered about. The three looked on and were shocked by this.

Miko/Kaosu: "Oh my… What happened here?"

Jack walked to the overturned and damaged bus and inspected the damage. Looking at it, he came up with a really good deduction.

Jack/Rodimus: "Looks like the military was escorting the civilians out of the town when it got under attack. The bus was blown up and blocked the path, creating that huge traffic jam all the way back there as people were panicking and tried to escape on foot. Must've been a mess throughout the whole ordeal."

Raf looked at the damaged cars and noticed a few luggages' that were left behind from the citizens. Feeling a little sickened by this, he starts to wonder about the people that managed to escape.

Raf/Firewall: "I just hope that everyone managed to get out safely."

Rodimus though shook his head and told him that was highly unlikely.

Jack/Rodimus: "I don't know about that Raf. After seeing this, I'm certain that the Decepticons showed no mercy."

Miko looked at this wreck too and begins to wonder what they should do now.

Miko/Kaosu: "So now what? No way we can drive with this mess in the way."

Looking down at the road of stopped cars, the former teen sighed and came up with their only option.

Jack/Rodimus: "Looks like we will be walking from here on out."

Just as he said that, the three heard some suspicious knocking near them. Kaosu was the first to hear that as she told the others about it.

Miko/Kaosu: "Hey, did you guys hear that?"

Firewall heard that knocking too and wondered what it was as well.

Raf/Firewall: "Yeah, I heard that. Almost sounds like it's coming from… Rodimus?"

Jack could here the knocking getting more frequently and frantically. Turning to the two recruits and looking down at his front, he opened his chest plate to see who was doing all the knocking. It was then that two people came out and were trying to catch their breaths after being stuck there for a little while. One is a young Indian girl at sixteen with fiery red pigtail hair and inhuman blue eyes. The other was a 16-year-old boy with short brown hair and a Stokes T-shirt. Looking at the two, the three realized who they are as the hacker and Wrecking Cadet blurted out their names.

Miko/Kaosu: "Sari?"

Raf/Firewall: "Sam?"

Indeed, the two people are in fact Sari Sumdac and Sam Witwicky. Sari was taking a quick breather as she was trying to get some air into her lungs.

Sari: "Okay… Mental note to self, never stay in a car as it transforms."

Sam was taking a deep breath too and didn't expect that to happen.

Sam Witwikcy: "I told you that it was a bad idea Sari. You never listen…"

Sari turned to him and groaned to herself.

Sari: "Oh grow up Sam. At least we made it through."

The two recruits approached the kids and offered their servos to get them out. The two teens looked at them and cautiously got out of Rodimus's chest area, gently getting on their servos. The moment Jack closed up his chest plate; he was fuming and started to scull at the two teens.

Jack/Rodimus: "What are you two doing here?! I thought Arcee told you go remain in the base."

Sam sighed to himself and tried to explain it while pointing the finger to his friend.

Sam Witwicky: "It's not my fault Rodimus. I was preventing my friend here from pulling a stupid move. I tried to talk her out of it, but she wouldn't listen."

Sari looked to him and didn't like what he was saying.

Sari: "Hey! I wanted to go and help these in rescuing their leader. At least we were lucky that we didn't get noticed by the Autobots when we were sneaking into one of them."

Sam turned to her and spat back.

Sam Witwicky: "Well you didn't expect them having to transform while we're in there. Do you have any idea how hard it was to breathe in there?"

Sari: "Well I didn't expect that to happen! Maybe you should've stayed behind with dad while I go with these guys."

Sam Witwicky: "And let you get killed out there? I don't think so!"

The two continued to argue like a bunch of young children as the recruits watched them bicker. Jack though heard enough and decided to break it up.

Jack/Rodimus: "Enough! That's enough from both of you! Now I don't know whose fault is this, but the two of you are going back to base and that's it!"

He placed his digits to his comm. and contacted the base.

Jack/Rodimus: "Rodimus to base, we got two stowaways that managed sneak through the ground bridge. Apparently Sari didn't follow out orders. We're going to need a bridge to get them back."

He waited for a response from them only to hear nothing but static. So he tries again.

Jack/Rodimus: "Ratchet? Do you read me? We need a bridge for the Sari and Sam."

Still static… Jack sighed to himself and wondered why he couldn't get contact with the base. That was when Firewall reminded him about something.

Raf/Firewall: "Um… Rodimus? Maybe you've forgotten about the dome that's scrambling our comm. channels."

Jack looked up at the Decepticon dome and sighed to himself.

Jack/Rodimus: "You're right… We can't get into contact with the Autobots without gaining access from the Con's communication outpost. This blows…"

Kaosu then chimed in and asked about the two humans.

Miko/Kaosu: "So, what are we going to do with these two? Surely you're not thinking about leaving them here."

He turned to the two humans that are resting on the recruit's servos and felt a little worried about their safety. And since there's no way in getting them back into the base, there is no choice in the matter.

Jack/Rodimus: "Fine… They'll come with us."

There was a gleam in Sari's eyes as she was excited by this news.

Sari: "Yes!"

But Jack decided to give the two one strict rule.

Jack/Rodimus: "Under one condition. The two of you will remain with us and not get into any trouble during the mission. Understood?"

Both Sari and Sam looked at each other and turned to Jack with a simple nod while the teen girl did a scout salute.

Sari: "Sure thing sir. Scouts honor."

Soon as she promised that, Rodimus sighed and turned around to head to the town on foot, knowing that this is going to be an issue. Raf and Miko guided their servos to their shoulders so that Sam and Sari jumped on them, as they too followed Rodimus. For the next few minutes, the three were walking down the path next to all the cars and buses on the road with luggage scattered about and the destroyed military vehicles. It was almost like it came out of a disaster movie, but it was all too real. Still Jack had his processor on what Sari did as he turned back to her about it.

Jack/Rodimus: "I still can't believe that you would run through the portal when you realize that it was dangerous. I swear, you're just like Kaosu."

Sari smirked as Miko giggled as the teen told him a few more things.

Sari: "Okay… First of all, I didn't run into the ground bridge. Sam and I just jumped into the back seat of your vehicle form. Secondly, whether you like it or not, you're going to need my help in rescuing this leader of yours."

Still though Rodimus wasn't buying this as he wonder what this Sari girl would do to help them.

Jack/Rodimus: "Really? And how exactly are you going to help us?"

Sari: "Hello? Have you already forgotten? With this!"

She dug her hand into her shirt and took out her futuristic key that's wrapped around her neck. Rodimus looked at this key and was a little confused.

Jack/Rodimus: "Your key? And why would you use that again?"

Sari placed her hand on her hip and had that odd look in her.

Sari: "You're kidding? That key healed up one of your friends back at Morrison Dam."

Jack/Rodimus: "So?"

Sari: "So? This Optimus guy should be seriously injured. Who knows what those Decepticons have done to him. If you going to get to Optimus out of here and he's hurt, you're going to need my key to heal him up. And I'm not taking a no for an answer."

Miko overheard the teen and nodded in agreement about what she said.

Miko/Kaosu: "Sari does have a point Rodimus. Optimus could be injured during his ordeal with Megatron. The team might need Sari's key to fix him up."

The former teen heard the Wrecking Cadet and sighed to himself, knowing that she has a really good point. They have no idea what the Cons are doing to Optimus and he doesn't know if the team can get him out of the fortress if he is injured.

Jack/Rodimus: "All right, I get it. That key can help us with the rescue. Fine, you can come along but only if it's for that and nothing else."

Sari smiled from ear to ear and liked the news.

Sari: "Don't worry Rodimus. I promise I won't get myself into trouble."

Jack groaned to himself and was worried about that part.

Jack/Rodimus: "Yeah, I sure hope you don't."

Just as soon as he said that, Raf broke up the argument and told them what he saw.

Raf/Firewall: "Uh… Guys? I think you need to see this."

The three turned to Raf and Sam looking at something and were horrified by what they saw. Curious at what they're looking at, they all turned to see what they were seeing. But the moment they turned to see the view, their faces went from complete shock and disgust as Jack uttered a few words.

Jack/Rodimus: "Oh no…"

Standing before them was the town of Jasper, Nevada, a town they grew up in and had many memories. But now that the Cons have taken control of this town, it was nothing more then scrap yard. Most of the buildings looked demolished and pluming smoke rose up from the sky in some of the buildings that caught fire a long time ago. At a distance from the town was a huge tower like structure on the right with a beam of light at the top that's holding the shield up. It was obvious that it was the Decepticon fortress towering over what was left of Jasper. The group was astounded by the destruction and remained silent until Firewall spoke up.

Raf/Firewall: "Guys, that's Jasper…"

But Rodimus kept his cool and told the hacker what it really is.

Jack/Rodimus: "Correction, that was Jasper. Now it looks like a war zone, just like Cybertron."

Sam looked at the view too and finds what happened to the town really disturbing. Turning to the left, he noticed something else and pointed to it.

Sam Witwicky: "Hey, look at that sign over there."

They all turned to the direction of where Sam was pointing at and noticed a sign that says, _'Welcome to Jasper, Nevada: The Entertainment Capital of the World'_. But the attack of the Decepticons left the sign in shambles with blasters holes and the sign itself being tilted. The one thing though that got their attention was the engraving by a blaster that's over the welcome message that says, _'Darkmount'_. Jack got a closer look at the sign and read it out loud.

Jack/Rodimus: "Darkmount huh?"

Kaosu looked at him reading it and raised a metallic eyebrow.

Miko/Kaosu: "Darkmount? That's what they're renaming this town? So bland…"

But then she turned to the huge tower that's standing tall and looked at it intently, taking a quick snapshot of it with her optics.

Miko/Kaosu: "So, that's the name of that fortress eh? Got to admit, it looks pretty intimidating from here."

Jack turned to the fortress too and was in awe by this structure the Decepticons built thanks to the Omega Lock. But he knows that this was their goal too as he told the others to keep moving.

Jack/Rodimus: "That fortress is where they're keeping Optimus and have the comm. center. We have to reach that place if we can get Team Prime in there. Now come on. We have go through the town if we could reach the citadel."

Soon enough, the group walked down the hill in an attempt to enter the town, not ready to see the devastation up close.

* * *

Seven minutes in, the team journeyed through the suburbs of the town, or was the suburbs. The houses were ripped apart and trashed with scorch marks on some of the houses that were burned. Within the streets, there were cars scattered about and crashed into each other as some looked turned over and blew up. The three recruits were walking through the tattered streets as they look at each of the houses that were laid to waste. Sari was still on the Wrecking Cadet's shoulder looking down to see a police car that crashed into a phone pole. She whistled to herself and was quiet by this.

Sari: "Wow… Just wow… All these people were trying to get out of this town. Never really thought that these Decepticons could show no mercy to them. What happened to the bodies?"

Kaosu looked at the wreck the enemy did and came up with a really good opinion.

Miko/Kaosu: "My guess, they might've gotten disintegrated by blaster fire. Those blasters could really do a number on you."

Raf clenched his chest plate and remembered about the dark enegron blast that hit him.

Raf/Firewall: "Don't remind me about that Kaosu. I'm still having thoughts about what Megatron did to me."

Sam turned to him and was surprised by what he said.

Sam Witwicky: "You got shot by a blaster?"

The hacker turned to him and shrugged his shoulders.

Raf/Firewall: "Technically… That blaster Megatron used was filled with Dark Energon. It's a very dangerous substance that could bring cybertronians back from the dead. The exposure of that energon nearly poisoned me. If it hadn't been for Ratchet and Altra, then I would've been a goner a long time ago."

Sari heard that and was impressed that this young mech survived that ordeal.

Sari: "So you got shot and lived to tell about it? Cool! That should've given you some serious street cred right there."

Raf turned to her and was a little hesitant about that.

Raf/Firewall: "You sure?"

The teen nodded with a gleeful look.

Sari: "Totally!"

Jack overheard this and decided to peek his head to the group and told them to keep quiet as they were in enemy territory.

Jack/Rodimus: "Will you four keep it down? This town is now in Con control and there could be patrols out there. The last thing we want is a group of Decepticons following the sound of our talking."

Just as soon as he said that, he turned back and stopped dead in his tracks. He was looking at house that looked like it was blown up with debris and furniture ripped or broken. Yet within the chaos, the garage remained somewhat untouched. But the one thing that caught him the most was the mailbox on the front that said 'Darby'. It was obvious that this house was his own and his spark sunk. Raf and Miko looked at this and knew that it was hurting him bad. But Sari and Sam starred at this and was a little confused.

Sari: "Um… What's going on?"

But the Japanese femme lifted her servo up and told her to remain quiet. As the group watched on as Rodimus slowly walked to the damaged house. Bending down to the debris he looked from within to see if there's anything to salvage. But looking through the mess, it looked impossible to find any memories that haven't been destroyed during the attack. But that's when he spotted a picture frame on top of what's left of the coffee table. Picking it up, he turned it over to see a picture that was taken a few months ago. This picture showed the Autobots, he, Raf, Miko, and June when they were once human, and two more individual. One was a man that looked like Jack, only a little older then him and the other was a young girl with blonde pigtails that ware in the back. Those two people were his father, John Darby, and his _'sibling'_ Elsa de Sica.

Months ago, John returned from Jasper after a long seven year absence, searching through Italy looking for the killer that took his brother's life. But he returned with a secret of his own. He was working for the Social Welfare Agency, an anti-terrorist organization heavily funded by the Italian government that's on the verge of weaponry and technology. Their latest work were turning little girls with cybernetic soldiers with artificial muscles, synthetic skin, armor fibers, and heavy conditioning to make them loyal to their handlers. Elsa was one of them as John was her handler. John headed back to Jasper just to visit his family and have a little bonding time with his son. Unfortunately, it didn't work out the way he planned it as Airachnid got involved and Arcee had to reveal the truth to him. This got rocky from then on out, but it soon dissipated as John and Elsa had to get use to those changes. After one huge run in with the Cons knowing about the Agency, they've managed to thwart Megatron's plan and save the agency's secrets. That picture was the last thing John did before he headed back to the SWA. Jack had many great memories with his dad and Elsa, good and bad, but great memories nonetheless. It's amazing it survived the attack; even it was cracked on the corner. The group just looked on in silent as Firewall decided to break this moment.

Raf/Firewall: "Rodimus, we have to move."

Jack remained silent as he got up and opened his secret compartment where the Vector Sigma key is located. Once the compartment closes he turned to the others and let them know that it's time to leave.

Jack/Rodimus: "Let's go."

He then left his old house and took the lead while the others followed suit.

* * *

Another couple of minutes passed by as they journey deeper into the war torn town. Just then, they pass by their old high school. The front of it looked like it remained untouched with the exception of the wood boards sealing off the windows, as there was a barricade behind the entrance. But on the side, the wall was blown open to reveal the school hallway and a few classes as desks and supplies were scattered around. There were even a few school buses that were on stand by to get the students out but it would seem that they were destroyed and burned during the attack. The former humans had a little uneasiness in them and were worried if the students managed to escape in time. But they have to continue heading to Darkmount if they were going to let the team in and save their leader. So passing their school they continued their journey and focus on their goal.

* * *

By the time they entered the town itself, it was far worse then the rest of Jasper. As they were walking they noticed a lot of evac zones and outposts the military placed to keep the citizens organized in the evacuation. So it was obvious that the Decepticons attack that part of town the most. The shops within the town were ripped apart and dismantled with shattered glass display cases in shambles. The vehicles from regular to military were toppled over and damaged completely. And the outposts themselves were torn to destroyed with torrents severely damaged and look out towers were toppled over. Raf looked at the town and felt a little unease by this.

Raf/Firewall: "Look at all of this town. We always wondered what the Decepticons would do to this place, never believed that it was this worse."

Sam nodded to what Raf said and agreed with him.

Sam Witwicky: "Tell me about it. I heard about all of this on the news, I never knew that it was that bad."

The group walked down the street filled with many destroyed shops. But then Jack stopped as he notice the one place he always knows. It was a fast food drive thru restaurant called K.O. Burger. It looked like they were using that as an evac zone too with blockades to steer vehicles clear and a couple of towers in place. However that too was a victim of this invasion as well as a military chopper crashed right through restaurant itself and was caught on fire after the crash. Now it's nothing but a smoldering building with burn marks around the broken windows. Jack knew this restaurant really well as it was where he used to work. Sure he didn't like the job, but it was the only job he can do to help out his mother. It is also where he first met Arcee, even though he thought that she was just a normal motorcycle. And yeah, even if it was after that that he was kidnapped and nearly got blasted, it was still a memory he cherished. He stood there in silence as he couldn't believe that this place was destroyed is by these Cons. But as he was silent about this, he heard a voice from behind.

Sari: "You guys use to live in Jasper. Did you?"

Rodimus turned around and saw Sari and Sam, who got off of the recruit's shoulders and approached the former teen with a look of concern. Sari was the first to speak as she pieced it all together.

Sari: "I mean I saw you go to that house in the suburbs, then when we past that school, and now this restaurant. It's pretty obvious why you all felt a little saddened by this."

Jack looked down to them and sighed to himself, knowing that the secret was out. So he nodded and told them what Sari wanted to know.

Jack/Rodimus: "Yes, you're right. We are Jasper residents."

There was a bit of shock between the two humans, as they never thought that three alien robots would live in a small town like Jasper. That's when Sam came in and was a little confused by the recruit's response.

Sam Witwicky: "But how can that be? If the three of you use to live in Jasper, then you would've been-"

Jack/Rodimus: "Human? Yeah, pretty much."

He then looked up to the hacker and Wrecking Cadet as he told them to start searching.

Jack/Rodimus: "Firewall. Kaosu. Look for a street or route that can take us directly to Darkmount. We're wasting too much time here as it is."

Both recruits nodded as they decided to start moving ahead while leaving Rodimus to talk to the kids. With them gone, Jack bent down and told them the whole truth.

Jack/Rodimus: "Look, my name isn't really Rodimus, it's just a codename I use when we're on missions. My real name is Jack, Jackson Darby. Firewall's real name is Rafael, Raf for short. And Kaosu is actually Miko, an exchange student that came from Tokyo. We are the first civilians that encountered the Autobots and made friends with them."

There was an eerie silence as the two were shocked to hear the news that these recruits were once human. That's when Sari came in and asked about that.

Sari: "But if you guys were human, what happened to you? Why are you now alien robots?"

Rodimus remained quiet and didn't know how to put this in words.

Jack/Rodimus: "It's really complicated… I'm pretty sure you know MECH when they kidnapped you."

The two nodded and remembered about them being taken just so Professor Sumdac would continue to work or his daughter would die. That's when Jack decided to begin his story.

Jack/Rodimus: "Well the Director, the head scientist for that organization, was working on a project that could change the face of the war. He called it Project Metamorphosis and the purpose of this project was to turn humans into Cybertronians. Before he could put this project to work, he needed to test it out of some candidates. Turns out his choices were the three of us including my mom, June, who is Altra if you were wondering about that."

Sam Witwicky: "But why would he want to choose you four."

Jack remained quiet as continued with his explanation.

Jack/Rodimus: "He believed that we have close ties with our Autobot friends and took us all in just a week after the invasion of our hometown. Once he got us, he put us into that project through three stages. The first is to turn us into energon, the second stage is to alter our genetic code, and then finally bringing us back to life as Cybertronian soldiers. I don't remember anything after the first stage, since we were all nothing but lifeless puddles of glowing goo. But by the time we woke up, we were turned into this."

He looked at his very own servo and felt a little spark ridden by the way he looks. The two teens looked at him and wondered about if he's stuck like that.

Sari: "Is this change permanent?"

The former teen looked to her and she could see the sorrow in his optics.

Jack/Rodimus: "Unfortunately, yes. Raf, Miko, mom, and I are going to be stuck like this for the rest of our lives. And all of your dreams and futures are shattered due to one man's sick and twisted vision."

Sam Witwicky: "And what about your families? Do they know about what happened to you?"

Jack turned to Sam and came up with a really good answer.

Jack/Rodimus: "To Raf's family and Miko's host parents, they think that we are all in protective customs and think that they are safe. And even though I don't have family, my dad could be worried sick about me. See, he's in Italy working for an anti-terrorist organization. He has no clue about what really happened to me let alone if he thinks that my mom and I are alive. Mom was supposed to let him know that we are safe until the Director ruined it. Now there's no telling what would happen to him once he finds out about the truth. As for me, I don't really know what's going to happen to me. I had a future all set up for me, but thanks to the Director, he took it all away from me. Now I don't know what to do being that I'm… not human."

The humans listened to every word he said and couldn't help but to feel sorry for him. They have no idea that Jack had a life and had it taken away from him, it was impossible to swallow. But then Sari stepped in and decided to be the word of reason.

Sari: "Don't say that. Don't you dare say that. So what if that Director took your human life. I mean look at you! You are now a huge transforming robot with weapons to fight! Think of the opportunities you have now that you're one of them. It's a whole new life and future for you. Who knows, it might also be your destiny!"

The young mech perked up when he heard that last statement. He remembered Vector Prime saying those words back in the dream world. She was right for one thing, Jack did have a destiny. Though he doesn't know what this destiny is, he needs to save Optimus if he were to find out himself. Looking to the girl, he smiled and remembered about those words.

Jack/Rodimus: "Might be my own destiny huh? Someone told me about that before."

Sari placed her hand on her hip and was curious about that.

Sari: "Really? And who told you that?"

Jack chuckled and decided to tell her half the truth.

Jack/Rodimus: "Let's just say it's something that's close to me."

The moment he finished his story, Raf and Miko came back and had worried looks on their faces. He then looked up to him and stand up straight while the humans turned and saw them looking a little hesitant.

Jack/Rodimus: "Well guys, find anything?"

The two recruits looked at each other and wondered how they are going to share the news. Turning back to him, they told him what they found.

Miko/Kaosu: "About that, we have some good news and bad news. The good news is that we found a direct way to the fortress. It's on Founder Square. where that park is located. It will take us to main freeway the Autobots take us to when we're heading to the base."

Jack smirked and knew that they would have a way in getting to the Decepticon base. But then he wondered about the bad side of it.

Jack/Rodimus: "That's great! What's the bad news?"

Raf kicked his pede to gather up dust and slowly answered his question.

Raf/Firewall: "Well…"

* * *

A few minutes later, at Jasper National Park, it was quiet without a single sound. Within the park, which was suppose to be a emergency medical station, the tents were torn to bits, emergency trailers were wrecked, the trees around the park were burnt, and the statue of Jasper's founder had see better days. Just then a stray red blaster came out of nowhere and hit the statue square in the chest followed by a metallic like voice.

Vechicon 3: "Did you see that? Hit that guy square in the chest!"

Within the park a small group of Vehicons were relaxing while on patrol. Since there were no humans to hunt down or anything that poses a serious threat, they all decide to enjoy themselves. One of the Vehicons was sitting on an ambulance that was toppled over from a previous explosion. He looked at the shot one of his comrades did and grunted to himself.

Vehicon 4: "Not bad of a shot. But you need more of an impact then that.

The Con turned to him and didn't like what he said.

Vehicon 3: "Oh yeah? All right smart aft, let see if you can do better."

The metallic soldier snickered and got off the ambulance, walking past the other one.

Vehicon 4: "Don't say I didn't warn ya."

Once he got into position, he armed up his blaster and aimed it at the statue. Pulling the trigger, he fired his blaster at the target and it hit the statue right in the head. The impact of the blast knocked the head of Jasper's founder off it's foundation and landed on the floor, rolling around till it stops. The group looked on in surprise as the vehicon turned to the first one that fired the shot and told him what happened.

Vehicon 4: "Boom! Headshot! Top that!"

The first Con groaned to himself and turned away, feeling a little defeated. Not far from the park, the Autobot recruits and the two human teens were peaking in the corner of what's left of a florist shop with dead and burned flowers in front of the store. Jack looked at the group and breathed deeply.

Jack/Rodimus: "Great… This is just what we need."

Sam looked at the group and gulped nervously.

Sam Witwicky: "So, those are the Decepticons? They certainly look intimidating."

Miko though laughed it up and told them that they don't look too tough.

Miko/Kaosu: "Intimidating? Dude, those are nothing but drones. Totally don't pose much of a threat. We can take em'."

But Rodimus turned to her and told her not to do it.

Jack/Rodimus: "Miko, this is a recon mission. As in scouting the area and reaching the citadel without running into trouble. We have to stay clear of them if we are to get to Darkmount in one piece."

Miko looked to him and felt a little defeated by that.

Miko/Kaosu: "Aw…"

He then looked back at the group of Cons and guessed that's the problem.

Jack/Rodimus: "So, I take it that's the bad news huh?"

The hacker though shook his head and pointed yonder to the street that would take them straight to Darkmount.

Raf/Firewall: "No… That is the bad news."

Jack turned to his right to see the street they need to take and noticed what appears to be a bus blocking the way with combat jeeps and torrents in front of it. He couldn't believe it as he looked on in shock.

Jack/Rodimus: "You have got to be kidding me! There's a blockade that's preventing us to reaching our destination? Why is that blocking our way?"

Firewall thought this through and came up with a really good answer.

Raf/Firewall: "My guess, the military set that up to defend the park from the Cons. By the looks of this place, it didn't do too well in their favor."

Rodimus looked back and forth between the blockade and the drones and felt like he's in a rock and a hard place.

Jack/Rodimus: "Terrific… Now we have to find a way in getting pass that dead end just to reach to the enemy base."

Raf though turned to him and was a little worried about that.

Raf/Firewall: "And what about the Decepticons? You know that if they notice us, that won't hesitate to shoot."

Jack/Rodimus: "I know, I know! There's got to be some way to breaching there without catching too much attention."

The group pondered about this and tried to figure a way in avoiding that mess. But with time getting short and the Autobot leader still held captive, they need to do this quick. As they were thinking, Sari looked around and noticed something not too far from them. Pointing to the same direction as the military blockade, she told them what she found.

Sari: "Hey, what's that?"

The group turned to her and looked to what she was pointing at. What they saw is what appears to be a construction site meant for building a new store. But that too was a casualty of the invasion with tools scattered about and cement blocks toppled over. But the one thing that got their attention was a bulldozer that's still in one piece. Jack looks at this and figured out what it was.

Jack/Rodimus: "Looks like a construction site that was building another store in the town. Heard that it was suppose to be an outlet store of the latest fashions, so that people can be up to date with what they wear."

The two teens looked at him and was a little silent about it. Jack look down to them and smirked while shrugging his shoulders.

Jack/Rodimus: "It's a small town. People usually talk a lot."

Sari then looked back at the bulldozer and rubbed her chin about it.

Sari: "What about that bulldozer? You think that would work?"

Jack looked to that very vehicle and thought about it.

Jack/Rodimus: "Maybe… Looks like it wasn't harmed during the attack, but you need to find a way in jumpstarting it. Why?"

That's when Sari took her key out and told them what she was thinking.

Sari: "If that bulldozer is working, then maybe I could use this key to jump start it. That way I can use it to plow through the blockade and get a clear path."

Jack looked back to the group of Decepticons at the park and then back with a little shock on his faceplate.

Jack/Rodimus: "Are you kidding me?! You want to go out there in the open while there's Decepticon forces that won't hesitate in killing you?! Why do you want to do that?"

Sari: "Because it's the only way in getting to that fortress and freeing your leader. But unless you have another way in getting to Darkmount faster, then you better tell us about it."

Rodimus opened his mouth and was about to say something, but he stopped completely and realized that she was right. They have to reach the enemy base just to get Optimus out of their and with the direct route blocking their way, they have to act now before it's too late. Firewall listened to her too and could agree with her on many occasions.

Raf/Firewall: "She does have a point Jack. We're running out of time and we have to act now while we still can."

Jack turned to the hacker and knew he was right about it. But looking to the group of Cons, this is going to get complicated.

Jack/Rodimus: "Even if it's going to work, there's still an issue of those Decepticons in the way. How are we going to do this if they're in the way?"

Miko looked at the group too and tried to figure out a way in getting Sari to the construction site and clear the path. But remember about something, she smirked and came up with a good plan.

Miko/Kaosu: "We distract them."

The teen looked at the Japanese femme and did a double take.

Jack/Rodimus: "Excuse me?"

She turned to him and explained her plan.

Miko/Kaosu: "We go out there and keep those drones busy while Sari and Sam can get that bulldozer going to plow through that dead end. It would be a piece of cake."

Both Jack and Raf were a little bewildered and couldn't believe what they just heard. Go and take on Decepticons while Sari does the clearing? That's extremely suicidal! So Jack argued about it.

Jack: "Kaosu, we're recruits that had just a week of training going up against a well armed, heavily trained, soldiers. How are we going to defend ourselves against that?"

Miko gave an interesting smirk and reminded him what happened with MECH.

Miko/Kaosu: "Dude, that's what we heard when we were taking on those MECHicons and we handled it ourselves. Besides, who said we're going to fight. We're just going to go down there and talk to them. If that fails, then we'll fight."

Still though, the two remain hesitant as the hacker reminded her on what the Autobots said.

Raf/Firewall: "Miko, have you already forgotten? We can't go up to them! The Autobots told us that the Cons shoot down Neutrals. Remember?"

She turned to him and let him know one more thing.

Miko/Kaosu: "Yeah. But they also said that they kill Neutrals if they don't join the cause. So, we go up to them and _'join'_ their cause."

Jack/Rodimus: "And you think that it would be wise in doing that?"

She then turned back to the former teen and playfully winked.

Miko/Kaosu: "But of course. If what Arcee told me about Cliffjumper, is that he's quite the chatter box."

* * *

A few minutes later, the drones were enjoying themselves as they have their area secure. They were all talking and laughing, as there was nothing to do on patrol. But that would soon change in an instant as one of the Vehicons looked at the group with his arms crossed. What he didn't expect is a slight tap on his shoulder and a metallic feminine voice.

Miko/Kaosu: "Excuse me."

Almost on instinct the very Vehicon turned to the direction of the voice and armed his blaster, pointing it at her. Soon enough, every Vehicon aimed their blasters at that very direction and were about to fire. What they saw though were three Cybertronians backing up after the sudden reaction to the tap. Rodimus and Firewall were a little surprised by this while Kaosu remained cool and collective. The young mech turned to her and whispered something to her without the enemy knowing.

Jack/Rodimus: "Well, they spotted us. Now what?"

Miko looked back to Jack and whispered back.

Miko/Kaosu: "Just follow my lead."

Just then, another Vehicon stepped in and was sporting a silver paint job. It's obvious that this one was a captain of the group as he approached them, demanding answers.

Vehicon Captain: "What's going on here? What's the meaning of this? Who are these three?"

The Vehicon pointing at the femme looked at them and noticed that there were no markings on their bodies, either Autobot or Decepticon."

Vehicon 5: "Don't know captain, but judging by the lack of decals, they appear to be Neutrals."

The captain looked at the three and noticed it too.

Vehicon Captain: "Neutrals huh? Never seen those in a long time. Kill them…"

All the drones charged their weapons and were about to fire. But the Japanese femme lifted her servo up and told them not to shoot.

Miko/Kaosu: "Wait! Don't shoot! We want to talk."

The captain looked at the femme oddly and wondered what they want.

Vehicon Captain: "Let me guess, you want to say your last words are you."

But she smiled and told him what he wants.

Miko/Kaosu: "Nope. We're actually here to join the Decepticons."

* * *

As they were talking, both Sari and Sam looked at the view in the same spot at the corner of the florist shop and noticed that the enemy is solely focusing on the three recruits, not fully aware with what is around them. Being that they were easily distracted, the two took that opportunity and got out of that corner, carefully reaching the construction site where the bulldozer is located. They've of course stopped on a couple of occasions and hid behind a bench, a damaged bus stop, into a few open stores incase one of the Vehicons spots them. Luckily they didn't, as the two humans were getting closer to their objective.

* * *

At the same time, the captain looked at the three and was a little confused.

Vehicon Captain: "You three want to join our cause? Well that's a first in a long time? Normally most of the Neutrals don't take the offer and get shot on site. Never really thought that you three would want to take part of it without hesitation."

Kaosu placed her servos to her hips and smirked wickedly.

Miko/Kaosu: "Believe me when I say this, we've been soaring throughout the stars for many eons ever since leaving Cybertron. After all these stellar cycles me and my friends here start to realize that the Autobots were the ones that left us to abandon our planet, not you guys. I mean, you are all working class of the planet right? You were the ones that were treated like garbage. You want to fight to what you believe is right. We want to join in on that fight. Right boys?"

She turned back to Rodimus and Firewall just so they follow what she was saying. The two of them knew that she was lying to the group of decepticons that they want to be on their side, so they play along as much as they can.

Jack/Rodimus: "Why yes, of course we want to fight for Megatron. We want some serious payback for what the Autobots did to our home."

Then Firewall chimed in with his own words.

Raf/Firewall: "Yeah! No one messes with our home and gets away with it. Down with Optimus! Long live Megatron!"

The captain listened to their responses and finds that a bit odd. Sure they sound like they want to be part of the cause, but their responses sounded a little off, especially the mechs being that they acted a little more robotic. Not to mention that there are some things that doesn't seem right. So he starts to ask some questions to them.

Vehicon Captain: "You younglings got guts, I give you that. Though I got to admit, I didn't hear any word of three new recruits coming into our ranks."

Miko was silent about this as she tried to explain why they were all here.

Miko/Kaosu: "I'm certain that Starscream had this recruitment in the list of things he needs to do. He just never gets around to it."

One of the Vehicons listened in and remembered about the commander's exile that happened in a long time. He turned to the captain and told him about that.

Vehicon 3: "She's right you know captain. Starscream is certainly off his rocker ever since he'd been in exile. I'm sure he's getting a little rusty since he came back to Megatron's militia."

The Vehicon captain turned to the drone and could agree with him on some occasions. But there are still some unanswered questions that need to be asked as he looked up to the barrier that's protecting them. Looking to the three, he asked them about it.

Vehicon Captain: "How did you managed to get to here when there's a dome that's keeping those humans out of Darkmount?"

Miko smirked a little and came up with a really good answer.

Miko/Kaosu: "Well… Let's just say we have our connections."

* * *

As the conversation went on, Sari and Sam were slowly getting closer to the construction site. After going through a couple of hiding spots and checking to see if they were looking, they managed to reach the construction site. They decided to hide behind some tumbled over portapotties and as though the smell was bad, made a great hiding spot. The moment they saw the enemy distracted, they came out of their spots and made it to the bulldozer. Sari jumped into the driver seat and checked to see if it's still in one piece while Sam got on the passenger side and felt a little worried about this.

Sam Witwicky: "Um, Sari? Are you sure you know what you're doing? I mean a tank is one thing, but a bulldozer is another. They are loud when they cause destruction and the moment we plow the way to them…"

The young girl turned to him and told him that it was all right.

Sari: "Relax Sam… I'm just going to lightly push that blockade away and make a clearing for our friends. I'm certain those drones won't suspect anything. Nothing can go wrong."

She then removed her key necklace around her neck and got it closer to the ignition. The second the key shifted to the exact same shape as the ignition socket, she inserted into that spot and turned it. In a matter of seconds, the bulldozer hummed to life as smoke billowed out of the pipe stack. She smiled at the success but looked to see if the Decepticons heard that. Fortunate for her, they were a little distracted as the captain was talking to the recruits. Looking at the levers, she stretched her fingers and was ready to get started.

Sari: "All right, looks like were set. Let's see if we can get this baby running."

Pulling the lever down she slowly pushed the vehicle forward just to get the kinks. Sam though was holding onto his seat tight and was getting scared of his best friend driving. Slowly she drove out of the construction area and slowly made their way to the blockade.

* * *

While they were getting there, the Vehicon captain kept his optics on the three recruits and still don't believe them. So he just asks them another question.

Vehicon Captain: "You know, I find all of this a little odd that the three of you came in unannounced. Not to mention that the three of you managed to get through the shield. So unless you give me one good reason on why the three of your would join our cause, I just hope that you're ready to go into the Well."

The group still had their weapons poised at the intruders and were standing by to fire. Both Jack and Raf looked at the group and were scared of what would happen to them. Miko though remained as calm as she can and came up with a really good excuse of why they should _'join'_.

Miko/Kaosu: "Oh come on now. Why would you ask us twenty questions when you do realize that we have knowledge regarding the Autobots."

There was an awkward silence within the group, as they looked at each other in pure confusion. Rodimus and Firewall though was incredibly surprised about this and thought that this wasn't part of her plan. The captain though finds that intriguing and asks her about it.

Vehicon Captain: "Really now… You're telling us that you have information regarding the Autobots living on this planet?"

Kaosu just smiled devilishly and knew that she got him where she wants him.

Miko/Kaosu: "Oh, you could say that. I know that you're trying to look for the Autobots since you decided to move in. I also know that Megatron is having a real hard time looking for them, be that the energon signatures are impossible to locate and this planet is pretty big. I think I can help with that. You see, I have information regarding the location of the Autobots. If you can take me to him, then I might give him that information. And maybe me and my friends here would earn a place here in this armada. What do you say?"

The captain looked at her and was intrigued by the offer. But Jack and Raf looked at her and were now getting worried. Indeed Miko was pretending to join the Decepticons, but letting them in on where the Autobots were hiding? That's a little far fetched, even for her. But the captain looked at her with sheer intent and wanted to know more.

Vehicon Captain: "Is that so? Well then why don't you tell me where the Autobots are hiding and I'll let Megatron know about it. Perhaps let him know that you gave me that info. I might even let him make you my right hand femme, if you know what I mean."

Kaosu was taken back by this as she soon realized that he was hitting on her. And who could blame her; she looked like one hot femme. But she has to play along until their human companions could give them a way through. So she still needs to pretend to join the ranks until they could get the recruits in.

* * *

While Miko was keeping the enemy distracted, Sari and Sam were on the bulldozer and were approaching the barricade. Slowly, they reached the bus that's blocking the recruits' path as Sari drove it. Being new to the vehicle was a bit of a challenge for her since she's driving it with the many levers that operate the machine. But she managed to control it and got the hang of it. She peeked back a couple of times though just incase one of the cons just spotted them. But they were a little distracted by the recruits still. Sighing in relief, she got the bulldozer in position and was ready to plow through the blockade. Tightening her grip on the handles, she smirked and ready to go while Sam sat back and was scared.

Sam Witwicky: "Sari? You're certain that this is going to work?"

She turned to him and told him to relax.

Sari: "Of course I'm certain Sam. Just going to push the bus away for a clearing and the others can go through. What's the worse that can happen?"

She put her hand on the forward lever and was about to push it down. But just as she pushed it down, it stopped halfway and was stuck at the moment. She didn't expect it as she pushed on it harder and harder. She managed to push it all the way down, but in the process, it caused the strain of the lever snapped completely. Both Sari and Sam looked at the broken stick and realization struck the two.

Sari: "Uh oh…"

Almost immediately, the bulldozer hummed to life as smoke billowed out the stack and into the sky. Suddenly, the bulldozer went to full speed and looked like it was ready to ram anything in its path. And the one thing that's in the way is the bus barrier. The two looked at this and right away knew the dangers.

Sam Witwicky: "Bail!"

Quickly, the two jumped off the bulldozer just seconds before the very vehicle hit its target as Sari removed the key from the socket. The moment it made impact, it pushed the bus with a loud crash and wrecked it completely. The bus itself hit anything that's in its path as cars, trashcans, small pieces of debris. Finally, as it starts to tilt up, the bulldozer was free from the push and was out of control until a lone car stopped it. But that said car got crushed and the impact triggered the alarm system, causing that to blare loudly. Both the Vehicons and recruits heard that and turned to the path to see nothing but destruction in the wake. What they saw though was Sari and Sam looking at the mess too didn't expect that to happen on bit. Sari found out about this and rubbed the back of her head.

Sari: "Whoopsy…"

Sam though looked back to her and had a disgusted look.

Sam Witwicky: "What's the worse that can happen huh? Well I think an out of control bulldozer counts as a answer."

She turned to Witwicky and rubbed the back of her head.

Sari: "Sorry… I guess that lever was stuck at some point."

The Captain saw the mess and noticed the humans standing there and he was in disbelief.

Vehicon Captain: "What the… Human survivors? Here? Eliminate them!"

The group turned their blasters on the two humans and were about to fire. Both Sari and Sam turned around when they heard some guns clanking to see the Decepticons aiming at them. The two had deadpan faces as Sam muttered something in his own breath.

Sam Witwicky: "And now we're going to die."

The recruits looked on and had to do something to stop this. So Kaosu ended to role-playing and went back into action.

Miko/Kaosu: "Oh well… That's our cue."

Quickly, she turned her servo into a hammer and smacked the captain on the neck, sending him flying into the air before hitting to the ground hard. The other Vehicons saw this and was surprised by the unexpected turn of events. So they turned to the three and were about to fire.

Vehicon 4: "Intruders! Take them out!"

Jack, Raf, and Miko looked at the group as the former teen sighed to himself.

Jack/Rodimus: "So much for recon…"

He then sealed his visor and mouth guard and went to the defensive by arming up his shield and protecting himself and the others from the incoming blaster fire. The hacker and Wrecking Cadet went into the offensive by arming their weapons at them. Firewall fired his taser blasters to temporarily paralyze the group while Kaosu fired her sonic pulse blasters at them, pushing them back for the moment. As they were in the clear, they retracted their weapons and turned to the two teens, who were still in complete shock. The moment they rushed to them, they checked to see if they were all right.

Jack/Rodimus: "Sari! Sam! You two okay?"

The two looked at the three recruits and took a breather.

Sari: "Yeah… A little rattled, but at least the path is cleared."

Jack then looked back to see the vehicons trying to get up and knew that they have to leave. Turning back to them, they told them that they have to go.

Jack/Rodimus: "Good. Cause now we have to leave right now!"

The three immediately transformed into their vehicle modes as Miko and Raf opened their passenger doors to let the humans in. Sari quickly got into the McLaren while Sam stepped into the Scion XB. Once they were in, the three sped their way past the blockade and were making a B line towards the fortress. At the same time, the Vehicons recovered from the attack and didn't expect that from happening. The captain slowly got up and noticed the three leaving with the humans and heading the Decepticon's base of operations. Turning to the others, he told them to stop the intruders.

Vehicon Captain: "What are you waiting for?! Those Neutrals are making their way to Darkmount! After them! We can't let them reach the fortress!"

All the Vehicons nodded and went after them, transforming into purple convertibles and made quick drifts to the street to go after them. The captain turned to the last Vehicon and told him to contact the base.

Vehicon Captain: "Get in touch with Commander Starscream. He needs to know the situation we have."

He then transforms into a silver convertible and joined in with the group and catch up with the others and stop the intruders. At the same time, the last remaining Vehicon placed his servo to the comm. channel and called the fortress about the problem that just happened.

* * *

Seconds later in Darkmount, Starscream casually walked into the command center with Soundwave close by. Once the doors are opened, the commander looked at the many Airadicons at their stations as they were on high alert. He then looked at the huge screen on the front that showing the map of Darkmount and noticed a disturbance within the ruins of Jasper. Looking down on one Airadicon that was at full attention, he started to demand answers.

Starscream: "You there! What's the situation?"

The Con bowed down and explained the problem to him.

Airadicon 3: "Commander, there appears to be a disturbance within the ruins of that human town. One of our scouting parties have encountered of small group of Cybertronians in that town along with two organics."

Starscream thought about that and remembered what the Decepticon leader said. So he looked to his soldier and asked about it.

Starscream: "The Autobots?"

The soldier shook his head and explained further.

Airadicon 3: "No commander. For what the group found were three Neutrals that appeared so suddenly."

Scream rubbed his chin and found that to be both interesting and unexpected.

Starscream: "Neutrals huh? Interesting…"

He then turned to Soundwave and ordered him to act.

Starscream: "Deploy Laserbeak, Soundwave. We might need a visual."

The Intel officer nodded as Laserbeak detached from the Con's chest plate and flew out of the command center, leaving Darkmount and heading to Jasper.

* * *

Back in the town, Rodimus, Firewall, and Kaosu sped down to street, making a mad dash to the Con's fortress. As they were reaching the place, Jack contacted Miko and was a little confused by what she was saying.

Jack/Rodimus: "Miko, were you really going to tell those Vehicons where the Autobots are hiding? Cause it sure sounds like you were going to."

The Wrecking cadet just laughed it up and told him what she said.

Miko/Kaosu: "Of course not Jack. You think I was going to reveal the location of our friends? I wouldn't do that to them. Besides, I was going to lie to that captain that they were hiding in an old steel mill factory, or at least an abandon theme park. Plus I have to get that Con off my back. Do you see the way he was hitting on me? Good thing I knocked him senseless."

Sari was in the passenger seat of her vehicle mode and giggled at the thought of that.

Sari: "Certainly saw that girl. That was awesome the way you taught that Con a lesson."

Miko turned her dashboard mirror to see her and told her about her actions.

Miko/Kaosu: "Hey, you were the one that kept them distracted. I thought it was a good way in saying what I think of him."

The two laughed it up as they enjoyed that moment together. But just then, Firewall came through the dashboard's comm. channel and interrupted the moment.

Raf/Firewall: "Hey guys, I hate to spoil the moment but we got company."

Both recruits turned their review mirrors to get a better view and spotted a group of purple convertibles with a silver one leading them. Looking at the back, Rodimus knew who they were and what were they after.

Jack/Rodimus: "Oh no… It's them."

Behind the three, the group was racing after them while the Captain was taking the lead. Looking at the three reaching Darkmount and ordered his squad to open fire.

Vehicon Captain: "They are going to reach Darkmount! We have to stop them! Shoot them down!"

As soon as he said that, two opening appeared between the hood and a pair of blasters came out of it. The rest of the Vehicons did the same as they took aim at the intruders. Quickly they opened fire as they were targeting their tires in an effort to keep them grounded. Sam looked at the blaster fire through Raf's review mirror and panicked.

Sam Witwicky: "They're trying to shoot us!"

Jack heard the teen's reaction and told him to duck.

Jack/Rodimus: "Keep your head down! We'll try to loose them!"

Both Sari and Sam quickly kept their heads down as blaster fire was all around them. The three recruits then performed their driving skills as they swerved and turned to avoid the gunfire. Meanwhile in the air, Laserbeak was soaring high to get a clear view of the chase as it was away from action.

* * *

Back in the fortress, Starscream and Soundwave were still in the command center, watching the aerial view of the action. The lieutenant looked at the monitor and saw a Hummer H2, Scion XB, and McLaren MP4 12C getting away from the Vehicons as they were avoiding the barrage of lasers with their moves in their vehicle modes. He looked at them trying to avoid the shots as he smiled with delight.

Starscream: "Those must be the Neutrals. Let's see how long they would last."

* * *

Back in Jasper, the three continued to make their way to their objective while avoiding gunfire from the Vehicons in the back. They kept on swerving and turning as much as they could but it wasn't enough as the enemy kept targeting them. Firewall looked back through the review and was getting annoyed by them.

Raf/Firewall: "Jack! Those Vehicons are still following us!"

Rodimus groaned to himself and realized that this wasn't getting them anywhere.

Rodimus: "This isn't working. We need to loose them if we are to reach the Darkmount."

Kaosu understood that as well and has to figure out a way in getting out of that mess. Looking around in vehicle mode, she spotted a water tower at the right with the words, _'Jasper'_ on it, still in one piece even after the invasion. Looking on, she came up with an idea and told the former teen about it.

Miko/Kaosu: "I got an idea, but you're not going to like it."

Jack looked to Miko through the review mirror and wondered what she's up to. But since they're in a tight spot, he has no choice in the matter and told her to get started.

Jack/Rodimus: "Do it!"

As soon as she heard that, Kaosu opened up her trunk and two cannons came out of it. Aiming it at the stands for the water tower, she fired her rockets at them and they flew to their mark. The Vehicons looked on and wondered what she was doing. The moment the rockets hit the stands, the heat melted the metal and the tower tilted downwards, right on the very street they were all on. Rodimus looked on and was shocked by this as he told the others to speed up.

Jack/Rodimus: "Pedal to the metal team!"

Immediately the group pressed on the gas pedal hard and the gearshift to forth as they all sped past a hundred. The three recruits zoomed through the street and made it past the falling water tower. But for the group of Vehicons, they all freaked out as the Captain told them to stop.

Vehicon Captain: "Breaks! Hit the breaks!"

They all came to a screeching halt the same time the water tower crashed to the ground, blocking their path. Water then came out of the damaged tower and flooded parts of the street while pushing the Decepticons away from the impact. Once the destruction was over, the street as doused in water while the Vehicons transformed and were soaking wet. The captain activates his comm. and talked to Starscream.

Vehicon Captain: "Commander Starscream, the Neutrals have blocked our path. We can't reach them from where we are."

* * *

Back at the command center, Starscream looked at the two screens showing both the map of the town and Laserbeak's video feed from the air. Seeing the mess with his own optics and finds the recruits own resilience quite unique. But they still pose a threat and need to be destroyed. So he responded to the captain's words and told him what to do.

Starscream: "Find an alternate route that will take you to the Neutrals. They must be stopped."

Vehicon Captain: _"Yes commander, already on it."_

Once the communications have ended, he turned to the Airadicon next to him and gave him some orders.

Starscream: "Those Vehicons won't make it to them in time. Have to hold them off until they can. Send in a strike force keep them at bay. That will give the captain some time."

The Airadicon saluted and followed the Scream's orders.

Airadicon 3: "Right away commander."

* * *

Meanwhile, the recruits were driving through the street as were about to leave their town and straight to Darkmount. They've managed to avoid the crushing blow from the water tower that Miko took down and although they got a little wet, they've managed to get out of there in one piece. Of course that doesn't mean that Jack would let it slide as he boasted to the Wrecking cadet.

Jack/Rodimus: "Miko, what were you thinking!? Blowing that water tower up without giving us a little warning? We could've gotten killed!"

Kaosu just shrugged it off and explained her actions.

Miko/Kaosu: "Well you did say that we had to loose those Decepticreeps. And when I told you that I have an idea, you told me to execute it."

Jack/Rodimus: "Yeah, well I didn't expect your plan could be that extreme! You should know better Miko!"

Miko/Kaosu: "Oh please… I didn't see you coming up with a plan in loosing those tailgaters."

As they were arguing, Sari, Sam, and Firewall overheard all of that and couldn't help but to snicker about their argument. But as they were listening in on their bickering, Sari looked over at the Japanese femme's review mirror and noticed something coming out of the sky. Looking closer, she saw what appears to be five silver futuristic jets flying towards them. Seeing this, she warned the others about it.

Sari: "Hey guys? Though I want to see you two fighting, but we got trouble."

Rodimus looked at the sky with his review mirrors and noticed those jets too. Before he could figure out what they are, those jets opened fire as red energy projectiles came raining down on them. He saw this go down and immediately told everyone to take cover.

Jack/Rodimus: "Incoming!"

The three shivered and avoided the firepower while the two teens held on for dear lives. As they were firing, a few stray lasers hit a nearby semi bed and blew it up, causing it to fly into the air and over the recruits. That said semi bed crashed to the ground in front of them and blocked their path completely. The three pressed hard on the breaks and made a quick stop with their tires were screeching the pavement. When that wasn't enough, they transformed mid stop and use their pedes to make a sudden stop. During the transformation, the humans jumped out of the shifting metal and flew in the air with surprised looks. Fully transformed, both Raf and Miko placed their servos out and managed to grab the humans before they could fall. The moment they stopped, all of them looked right at the blocked path as Rodimus groaned.

Jack/Rodimus: "Great… We're trapped!"

Suddenly, he heard the sound of jet engines getting closer to him as he and the others turned around to see those silver jets flying straight to them. They immediately covered themselves and protected the human teens only for the jets tilt up and ascended upwards. The group looked up at the sky to see the jets flying high up as they started to transform in the air and plummeted downwards. The moment they landed on the ground pedes first and with a huge thud, the recruits watched on and knew who they were. They looked like the Airadicons the Autobots faced many times, but they were completely different then what they faced. They have a combination of silver and black paint jobs with dark gray protoform skin and a bloody red glow on their visors and Decepticon insignias. Jack could tell that these were a new type of Cons they never saw and knew that they could mean trouble. He then looked right at Sari and Sam and told them to hide.

Jack/Rodimus: "Sari, Sam, get to someplace safe! We'll take care of them!"

The two teens looked at the young mech and nodded in unison, realizing that this is something that's beyond their control. Both the hacker and the Wrecking Cadet lowered down so that the teen jumped off their servos and ran for safety. Luckily they found what was left of a pharmacy and hid behind the broken display window so they could get a better view of the action. Back outside, Jack, Raf, and Miko looked right at these new troops and were in the defensive. Miko looked right at the group and had a slight smirk on her face.

Miko/Kaosu: "Really? Airadicons with new paint jobs? Is that all that they could come up with?"

Jack though was serious about this and told Miko to stop making jokes.

Jack/Rodimus: "Looks can be deceiving Kaosu. Remember the Autobot motto, they're more to them then meets the eye. Hit them hard and fast! We can't let them distract us with our mission!"

With that said, he deployed his sword and shield and got into a battle stance. Raf got into a boxer position, the same way Bumblebee taught him. And Miko was in her Wrecker stance and was ready for a major brawl. The new Airadicons prepare themselves as well as they got into a stance of their own. Jack looked at each of these Cons and counted five against the three of them. He has to figure out a way to even out the odds.

Jack/Rodimus: "Firewall, you take the two on the left. Kaosu, the two on the right. I'll get the one in the middle. Let's make this quick."

He then positioned his sword up while using the shield to protect himself, giving out a huge war cry.

Jack/Rodimus: "ATTACK!"

The three then charged in and to begin the fight as the Airadicons got to the defensive. Immediately, the three got close enough and began their attack. Jack was taking on the Decepticon in the middle as he used his sword to strike him down anyway possible. The Airadicon though dodged them swiftfully as he found an opening and struck with his clawed digits. Using his energy shield, Rodimus blocked the attempted strike and used his defensive weapon as an offensive weapon, knocking the brute back. With him distracted, the recruit used his sword strike him in the back. That strike cut the back of his armor as the enemy screamed in pain. Turning back to him, the Con got that angry look as Rodimus felt a little cocky.

Jack/Rodimus: "What's wrong? Too much for ya?"

The Airadicon got a little pissed off as he decided to charge in and attack forcefully. Raf was going in the defensive himself as he protected himself from the two Airadicons attacking him. One of them was punching him in the arms that were protecting his face. He's been looking for an opening just so he could fight back and was having a hard time looking for it. That's when the Airadicon did a swift upper right cut as the young hacker avoided it. Finding the opening, he went into the offensive and pushed the flyer with a few jabs of his own followed by a stiff upper cut to the chin, knocking the enemy down. Firewall was glad that he was able to take a Con down until another one came out of nowhere and punched the hacker right in the face. Raf just landed hard on the ground and was a little woozy from the punch. But just as he looked up, he noticed the second Airadicon arming his blaster and aiming it at him. Thinking quick, he opened the compartment on his arm and a cable fired out of it. It wrapped it around the enemy's leg and he pulled it off as fast as he could. The very Airadicon tripped before firing and landed hard on his back. Raf managed to get back up as he got on top of the Con and punched him continuously on the faceplate.

As for Miko, she was having the greatest time of her life as she taking on the Cons herself. Left and right, she was punching and kicking the two and was enjoying it one hit at a time. A kick to the first one, a punch to the second, a right hook to the first, and spinning roundhouse to the second. All those days of intense training from Bulk and Jackie really paid off. The first Airadicon had it with her as he charged in to strike away with all that he can. Kaosu noticed it with her keen optics and blocked that punch, followed by a strong and powerful clothesline. The other Airadicon then armed up his blaster and aim it to her back. But Miko sensed that coming and turned around to arm her own blaster, firing a pulse blast to him. That very blast pushed him back and slammed him to a small liquor store as bottles and cans flew about. She smiled and made a joke about it.

Miko/Kaosu: "Easy there buddy… Too much alcohol can be bad for the system."

Immediately, the other Airadicon started to get up and attacked with a few punches of his own. The Japanese femme turned and blocked all known punches, waiting for the right time to strike back. With all the fighting going on, Laserbeak was flying overhead witnessing the huge combat.

* * *

At that very same time, Starscream looked at the fight on the command center's main screen and was a little impressed by the recruits fighting.

Starscream: I got to admit, for a bunch of Neutrals they are a tough bunch. Still though, I have a few surprises waiting for them."

The Airadicon came forward to the commander and intelligence officer and told them the news.

Airadicon 3: "Commander, the tanks are nearing the Neutrals position. ETA: one bream."

The second in command turned to the drone and smirked wickedly.

Starscream: "Excellent…"

* * *

Back with the fight, the recruits were holding their own as they were giving everything they can against the Cons forces. Firewall continued to punch the Airadicon that was trying to hit him, not fully aware of the trouble that was coming to him. The last drone he took down got up in a daze and turned to the hacker that was pummeling his comrade. Quickly he armed his own blaster and fired at him in the back. The stray shot hit him, but it only pinged his armor, enough to get his attention and turned to see the enemy preparing another shot. Quickly, he armed his taser blaster and fired an electrical current at him. The current hit the drone on its chest and short circuited for a short time. Once that was over, the Airadicon was furious and fired many shots at him. However, the hacker managed to get up and grabbed the Con he was beating, putting him in the front and using him as a blaster sponge. The held captive kept on getting hit by the blaster fire of his equal while Raf used her free servo to arm his blaster and fired another shot, stronger then the last one. The moment the Decepticon was hit and was convulsing, Firewall let go of the Con he was holding and pushed him in the back with his pede, forcing him to collide with the other as they share at same pain from the current shock. The two went down to the ground and remained in a deep stasis.

Meanwhile, Miko she was protecting herself from the many swipes of the Airadicon's clawed digits. Looking for an opening, she backed away as much as she could without noticing what was behind her. Immediately, she tripped over a police car that was turned over during the invasion. She landed on her rear end and seared from the impact of it. Looking up though, she saw the drone aiming his rifle to her. Looking down at the police car, she came up with a really good idea and used both of her feet to push the car to him. The car knocked him on the legs as he tripped and fell face first on the pavement. Slowly, he pushed up and recovered from the attack, but Miko got up quickly and ran to him, giving him a swift punt on the knee. With him knocked in the loop, the femme looked down at drone and smirked.

Miko/Kaosu: "Hmph… How do you like me now?"

The moment she said that, she got struck to the punch in the face and staggered back a little. Completely forgetting about the last Con she took down, she looked up to see him heading straight towards her. Getting into position, she grabbed the drone by the servos as they performed and serious and strong wrestling grapple.

Back with Jack, he and the Airadicon he's fighting were duking it out, trying to see who can be taken down. The young mech used his shield to protect himself from the slashing attempts and waited for the right moment to strike back. After one slash attempt down, the mechanical teen turned around and delivered a back kick to the face, sending the enemy flying to the air. The Airadicon managed to reposition himself and was ready to go another around, but Rodimus rushed right in and positioned his sword ready for a strike. The Con got his blaster out and was prepared to fire but it was too late as the young mech struck his sword down and cut the blaster hand in one strike. He yelped in pain, as he didn't expect him to do just that. Before he could even perform a counter attack, Jack finished the job as he turned in a circle and used his sword to cut the enemy's head off. With the head gone, the drone staggered a bit before falling to the ground and was completely offline. Rodimus looked down at the decapitated body and thought that it was all over with. Suddenly, he heard a loud shot coming from the distance and turned to the left to see what it was. What he saw was a huge shell heading towards him with blazing speed and was going to blow him up. Quickly he got his shield up and deflected the rocket off of him. But the moment the rocket bounced, he turned and saw it was heading for Miko, who was still grabbling with the Airadicon. He screamed at the top of his air filter and told her to move.

Jack/Rodimus: "Kaosu! Look out!"

The Wrecking Cadet heard Jack's warning and turned to see the missile flying towards her. On instinct, she shoved the drone in the line of fire and got down as low as she could. The Con was a little confused as to why she would do that until he turned to see the missile heading for him. With little time to avoid it, he crossed his arms to protect himself while the rocket shell blew him up on impact, killing him in an instant. As the blast was gone, the recruits looked on and wondered where it came from. Even Sari and Sam looked on from where they're hiding and wondered the same thing. Turning back to the left where the rocket was fired, Jack and his team noticed what appears to be three military tanks with a purple and gray paint jobs from a distance. But then the three started to transform into what appears to be a new kind of Decepticon force with tank treads on the ankles, four huge and heavy plating on their arms and shoulders, huge cannons over their heads and two red visors on their faces. These huge cons got into battle stations as they clapped their arms together forming a metal shield with the cannons over them. The three then began to fire as three more rocket shells flew towards the recruits. The three ducked down low at the rockets went sailing past them and blew up a few buildings farther away. Looking back up, there was a little shock on awe about what they saw.

Raf/Firewall: "Decepticon tanks? Since when the Decepticons have tanks?!"

Jack got into position and switched his sword and shield to two blasters, ready to fire.

Jack/Rodimus: "Who cares! We have to destroy them before they fire another round at us!"

Using his targeting sensor on his visor, he pointed his blasters at them and fired as many rounds as he could. Raf then joined in on the fight and armed his taser blasters to fire powerful electrical pulse at them. All those shots hit the shields, but they didn't phase the Cons. Miko though came in and armed up her cannons, firing two of her missiles of her own at the tank Cons. Both those missiles hit the tanks shields and they exploded upon impact. But as the smoke cleared, the new enemies were still standing with the shields looking a little burned. The group was shocked by this as the three tanks fired another shot at them. They ducked again as the rockets missed them and destroyed a few nearby cars. When they got up, they couldn't believe what happened.

Jack/Rodimus: "You've got to be kidding me! We hit them with everything we have and they're still standing!"

Raf/Firewall: "There has to be another way in taking them out."

Kaosu looked at the three tanks like cons and then came up with another plan of hers. So she looked to them and told them what she would do.

Miko/Kaosu: "Cover me. I'm going in."

The two turned to her and were a little shocked by this.

Jack/Rodimus: "What?! Kaosu, what are you talking about?"

She turned to Jack and looked serious for once.

Miko/Kaosu: "Just trust me on this one Rodimus. I know what I'm doing."

Immediately, she transformed into her vehicle mode and sped straight to the three tank Cons.

Jack/Rodimus: "Kaosu! Are you nuts?! Get back here!"

But that failed into deaf audio receptors as she sped straight to the tanks with speeds of over a hundred. The drones notice her coming and fired their cannons at her. She steered clear of each projectile with turns and swivels, as she was getting closer to her goal. The two mechs look to their friend and couldn't believe that she was risking her life out there. Firewall turned to his friend and told him what he was thinking.

Raf/Firewall: "I think she knows what she's doing Rodimus, and she just doesn't care."

Making sure that Miko reaches her target; Raf aimed his taser blasters at the three Cons and fired his shots at them. Jack soon joined in and fired shots at them as well. Still though, the heavy shields of those drone like tanks deflected their projectiles. Two of those cons were shooting their shells at the two recruits as the ducked down low to avoid those shots. The one in the middle however was aiming carefully at the Wrecking Cadet speeding towards them in her vehicle mode. That's when he aimed it at the road near her and fired a round at her. Miko stopped and turned, performing a serious drift in the process. The rocket shell exploded behind her and the impact caused her to fly up high into the air. The moment she was over them and falling towards them, she transformed into her bipedal mode and armed both her gravity hammers. The moment she plummeted towards the ground, she raised her hammers up and slammed them to the tank Con, giving him and major case of the migraine. The other two drones looked at her dismantling the one in the middle and opened up their shielding, ready to strike. Kaosu saw this and decided to give them a serious brawl. Back and forth, she avoided each heavy strike while using her hammers to bang them up pretty bad. As the brawl went on, Laserbeak looked down at the fight.

* * *

Starscream watched the fight himself through the main screen and didn't like how it was going. The Airadicon looked at it too and told the commander about it.

Airadicon 3: "Commander, our Tankicons failed in disposing the Neutrals."

The commander was aggravated about this and let him know that he got the message.

Starscream: "Yes, I notice that. Clearly this femme is quite a brawler. Let's see how well she can do with a brawler of our own."

He turned to Soundwave and told him what to do.

Starscream: "Summon our heavy and send in co ordinance for a bridge. It's time to make the fight interesting."

The intelligence officer nodded as he began to lock onto the co ordinance to the fight while contacting one of the drones.

* * *

Back to Miko she was hitting the Tankicons with her hammers while avoiding the strikes and punches from the enemies. She ducked down at the first con was to perform a clothesline and used her hammer to bang him on the chin, sending him flying in the air and crashing through the roof of a small book store with books flying about. The second Con charged right in to give her a kick to the face. She knew it was coming as she sidestepped from the kick, made a quick spin, and hit him in the back with her hammer, pushing him away and crashing into an antique store. With the two down for the count, she turned to see the last drone struggling to get up. Knowing that she has to finish this, she positioned her pedes and ran straight to the last target. The Con turned slowly to see the femme making a mad dash to them. On straight up instinct, he targeted his cannon over his head and fired a shot at her. Miko bended to the side while running and dodge that shot while in slow motion looked at the rocket with the Decepticon insignia on it. Going back to normal speed, she stopped close to him and turned in a huge circle to deliver two crushing blows. The first hit pushed him away and crashing into a damaged bus, making a perfect indent from the impact. The second hit pushed him further back and sent him sailing straight to a bowling alley on another street. Miko watched on as the Tankicon headed straight towards that building as he crashed right through it, destroying the building while a huge neon sign crashed on top of him. With him completely buried, the Wrecking Cadet fist pump in the air and was overly excited.

Miko/Kaosu: "Strike! Man I'm so good!"

She then turned to the other two recruits as they watched the show she did. Switching her hammers back into her servos, she then placed her arms up and told them that she's done.

Miko/Kaosu: "Well, all done! Let's get moving."

Just as she said that, a green portal appeared behind her and something was coming out of it. Jack was the first to notice it and warned her about it.

Jack/Rodimus: "Kaosu, behind you!"

She heard him and turned around just to see what appears to be a purple and silver tanker truck barreling towards her. She panicked and jumped out of the way before that truck had the chance in flattening her. Once she got on the ground, she looked up to see the truck making a quick turn and transforming midway. Starring at it, she soon realized that it was another new Decepticon that was big and bulky with a purple and silver paintjob and three huge tanker prods on his back. The new Con looked at her and was eager to put her out of her misery. Both Jack and Raf looked at this new Con and were worried about their friend.

Raf/Firewall: "What's that? Another new Decepticon soldier?"

Jack/Rodimus: "I don't know. But whatever it is, Kaosu is in some serious trouble."

The huge brute got into a stance and gestured the femme to come to him. Miko smirked inwardly and decided to follow his gesture.

Miko/Kaosu: "Aw… You want me to get close to you? All right then. You asked for it."

Arming her hammers again, she then charged right in and was ready for a fight. She took a few swings at this new Con but he swiftly dodges each of those shots. He then did a few punches of his own but she managed to block them off. After one quick block, she managed to connect her weapons to him and managed to give him a few critical hits. Yet still, the creature was still standing as he felt a little off. Smiling, Miko decided to finish the job.

Miko/Kaosu: "All right big boy, it's time to bring the chaos!"

She twisted her hammer back and charged it up, ready to deliver the final blow. What she didn't know was the drone's prods on his back was emanating some electricity. The second she did the final swing; she got caught by an electrical barrier as static electricity affected her system. There was a small burst from the barrier as she flew away from him and crashed near a post office, going in and out of stasis. The other two recruits saw this and were shocked by what happened as this Con approached her, ready to deliver the final blow.

Jack/Rodimus: "Kaosu!"

The enemy made it to the Wrecking Cadet as she was struggling to get up. The brute raised his fists up and was about to deliver the final blow. But suddenly a couple of blaster shots hit him, yet didn't faze him. Turning to the left, he saw Rodimus and Firewall charging in to save their friend.

Jack/Rodimus: "Leave her alone you scraper!"

More shots came from both of them as blue projectiles and electrical currents headed towards him. The Con backed away as the shots continued to hit him. Once they were in close range, Rodimus switched his weapons to a sword and shield and pulled a slash to the side, letting the heavy soldier scream in pain as energon leaked out of it. Heading to Miko's side, he bent down and checked to see if she was all right.

Jack/Rodimus: "Kaosu? Are you okay? Speak to me!"

The Wrecking cadet groaned as she was coming too, looking at her friend with dim optics and told him that she was fine.

Miko/Kaosu: "I'm alive, I think… I guess I was a little ahead of myself huh?"

Jack smiled and couldn't help but to laugh.

Jack/Rodimus: "Yep, pretty much."

He heard a groan from close by and looked up to see the Con recovering from the strike and looked to be angry. Knowing that this was bad, he picked up the Japanese femme by the shoulders and starts to drag her away.

Jack/Rodimus: "We better get you to safety."

He started to walk her to Raf as he got his taser blasters at the ready.

Raf/Firewall: "I'll give you some covering fire."

He fired a few shots at the Con, but it has proven useless as he looked to the three with anger in his visor. Thinking that didn't do any good, he pulled all the stops the charged his blasters to full power. Jack notices this and told the hacker not to fire.

Jack/Rodimus: "Wait Firewall! Don't shoot!"

But it was too late as he fired a huge electric blast at the Con, hitting him on impact. But that blast didn't hurt him. Instead, he absorbed the blast and it went up to his prods, charging them up to full power. The three recruits backed up and realized that they were in a lot of trouble.

Raf/Firewall: "Oops…"

Miko/Kaosu: "That's not good."

Jack/Rodimus: "No… It's not…"

The moment he said it, the Con raised his servos up and then slammed them to the ground, creating a huge circle of electricity that was spreading around him. That blast caught the three as they were shoved away from the hit and crashed into a couple of cars. As the ring faded away, all that was left were the three in a semi conscious state while the enemy remained unharmed. Looking to Rodimus, he approached him and decided to teach him a lesson after wounding him. Back at the damaged pharmacy, Sari and Sam watched the fight as they saw their friends getting taken out by the Con. Sari especially since she's in a state of surprise.

Sari: "Oh no!"

Quickly, she got out of the store and headed to the team as Sam was following her, trying to prevent her from doing something stupid.

Sam Witwicky: "Wait Sari! What are you doing?! Get back here!"

As they were reaching their friends, the huge Con walked to Rodimus and was ready to deliver the final blow. Charging his prods in the back he tightened his fist as electricity danced around it. Pulling his fist back, he was ready to end the fight with the young mech blinking his optics on and off. But just as he was about to do it, a small rock came out of the nowhere and hit him in the helm. Feeling that in pure confusing, he slowly turned to the right to see Sari holding another rock and had a serious look to her face.

Sari: "Hey you bully! Why don't you pick on somebody your own size?"

She then tossed that rock to him and it hit him on the visor, cracking it slightly. The enemy now snapped as he marched to the girl while Sam approached her and saw the Con looking mad.

Sam Witwicky: "Okay… That got his attention. Now what?"

The brute slowly walked to the two humans and wanted to flatten them like mush. Nearing the two, he raised his fists up and prepared to crush his first humans. But that little distraction proven to be very useful as a hammer came out of the blue and hit him in the back, pushing him away from the two humans and flying right into a gas station. Turns out Miko managed to recover long enough to deliver a crushing blow to the huge Con. Looking down at the two, she checked to see if they are safe.

Miko/Kaosu: "You two all right?"

The two teens looked at the Wrecking Cadet and nodded in unison.

Sari: "We're fine, thanks to you."

Kaosu smiled, knowing that they have given her the time to recover. Looking up though, she noticed the heavy Con struggling to get up. Noticing the propane tanks close by, she came up with a really good idea and armed her shoulder-mounted cannons.

Miko/Kaosu: "All right big boy, lights out!"

She fired two of those rockets as they flew towards the very gas station. The brute managed to recover and was about to go another around. But when he noticed the rockets heading towards him, he had very little time to avoiding it. The rockets then hit the tankers and created a chain reaction that made the entire gas station erupting into a plum to fire and smoke, completely destroying the huge Con in the process. With the threat gone for a moment, Miko looked back to see her two friends immediately recovering from the electric blast and asked if they were fine.

Miko/Kaosu: "Anyone in one piece?"

Raf rubbed the back of his helm and was a little disoriented for the moment.

Raf/Firewall: "Yeah, we're fine. Mental note: never fire your electrical pulse at the Con that absorbs it."

Jack though got himself together and decided to move on ahead.

Jack/Rodimus: "Let's walk this off Firewall. This little fight was just delaying us. We need to reach Darkmount without anymore surprises. Kaosu, think you can give us a clearing?"

He then pointed to the truck bed blocking their path, ordering her to get rid of it. The Wrecking Cadet looked at it and smiled while lifting her servo up and switching it to her hammer.

Miko/Kaosu: "No problemo…"

As she approached the blocked path to make a clearing, Rodimus looked down to Sari and Sam when they saved him. Removing his mouth guard and visor, he smiled to them and gave them a fair warning.

Jack/Rodimus: "Thanks for saving us. You really did a good job. Just don't let it get into your heads. Next time, you won't be so lucky."

Sari just smirked and told him what she said before.

Sari: "Like I said before, scouts honor."

As the group recovered from the fight, Laserbeak watched on and witnessed the aftermath of the attack.

* * *

At the command center, Starscream was extremely upset about this and stomped his pede in frustration.

Starscream: "Argh! Unbelievable! Even the Combaticon couldn't take these three down. Clearly these Neutrals are a long stronger then we anticipated. If that's the case, then they could be a serious threat to Lord Megatron. They must not reach our base no matter what! Do you understand?!"

He turned to the Airadicon and waited for a response. That said Airadicon nodded in approval and asked what the next order is.

Airadicon 3: "What do you want us to do commander?"

Scream thought this through and decided to bring in the big guns with a devilish look.

Starscream: "Send in the Shredders."

* * *

Outside of Darkmount, everything was quiet with nothing but the sound of the wind blowing. Suddenly, a pillar on the ground floor tilted downwards, revealing a huge cannon that opened up revealing a glowing heated hole, aiming at Jasper. In a matter of seconds, it fired three spheres like objects right towards the town, with the team unaware of their presence.

* * *

Back in Jasper, Kaosu prepared herself as she swings her hammer at the truck's bed. One quick hit and she knocked the bed off the path as it crashed into a skeleton of what was left of another store. Clearing the way, she turned to the others and told them that she was done.

Miko/Kaosu: "All right, path is clear! We can go through now."

Rodimus heard that and congratulated her on a job well done.

Jack/Rodimus: "Good work Kaosu. Now we can get to our destination without any more surprises."

As they were clearing the way, Firewall was accessing information on one of the new Cons they have faced. He got a cable out of his arm compartment and plunged it deep into one of the Airadicon's helms to download the schismatic of its model. Sari and Sam looked at the very Con he was investigating as Sari whistled.

Sari: "Gotta admit, these Decepticons certainly are a tough bunch."

Sam joined in and kicked the helm of the Con feeling a little worried.

Sam Witwicky: "Tell me about it. Never really thought these things could be extremely dangerous. Do the Autobots have to fight these guys all the time?"

He looked up to the hacker to get an explanation as he was looking through the schismatic of the drone through his visor. Though he was focusing on his work, he did respond to the teen's question.

Raf/Firewall: "Yep. Pretty much. But there's something off with these guys. Besides those Vehicons and Airadicons, I don't think the team faced these new Cons before, let alone those tanks and that brute that tried to destroy us. This doesn't make any sense."

Sari then turned to him and asked what he was doing.

Sari: "So, what are you trying to do?"

Raf/Firewall: "I'm looking into the schematics of one of these Decepticons, finding out where they came from and how they got here. Just need to get the file on where and when they were created and… Bingo!"

He then looked at the information for the manufacturing date and the location of where it was being built. Even if it was in Cybertronian, he was reading it with ease like binary. But when he was finished reading the data, his optics bugged out and was shocked at the news.

Raf/Firewall: "Oh no…"

Removing the cable from the enemy's helmet, he turned to his teammates and told him what he found.

Raf/Firewall: "Guys, I think I found something that you might not like."

Both Jack and Miko looked at their friend and wondered what he discovered.

Jack/Rodimus: "What is it Firewall?"

Raf/Firewall: "Well I accessed the schematics of one of the new Cons we've faced just to see where they came from. Turns out the place they were made is the exact same place we're heading."

He pointed up to the very tower they were going as the two turned to look at it. That's when Kaosu came into realization.

Miko/Kaosu: "Hold up. You're telling us that Darkmount is not only a fortress, but a factory?"

Raf/Firewall: "You could say that."

Both Sari and Sam approached the three to see the tower too and was skeptic about this as them.

Sam Witwicky: "So what, you're saying that the Decepticons are building an army?"

Rodimus got a little serious as he answered Sam's question.

Jack/Rodimus: "No… He's saying that Megatron did more then build a base on this planet. He's building a war."

Just as soon as he said that, he and the others heard a strange sound coming from the sky. Sari was the first to hear it as she talked to the others about it.

Sari: "Hey, did you guys just hear that?"

The Wrecking Cadet heard it through her audio receptors and agreed with her.

Miko/Kaosu: "Yeah Sari, I heard that. It almost sounds like it's coming from… The sky?"

Immediately, all of them looked up to the sky and saw three little dots heading to their position. None of them didn't know what they are until those dots started to get a little closer until they were spheres with spinning gears on the side. Realizing they were getting awfully closer to them, they freaked out and immediately ducked down as the huge spheres flew over them and crashing into a couple of run down buildings. Once they were in the clear, they got up and looked to see what came at them. There was a brief silence within the street until they heard the sound of gears turning from within those buildings. In a matter of seconds, the fronts of the stores exploded as the team shielded the humans from the debris and shattered glass blowing around them. As they were looked back, they got a closer look at the sphere like objects and were shocked by them. Standing before them were huge spheres with sharp like treads in a vertical angle, a glowing hot tread in the middle, and two Decepticon insignias on the sides. It was obvious that those objects were the shredders Starscream was talking about. The group looked on as they were a little speechless at the site they were seeing.

Sam Witwicky: "Um, guys? What the hell are those things?"

The gears started to crunch on the shredders as they were scanning the group that was in front of them. There was an intelligent computer in core as it studied the threat through the visor. As first the recruits and the humans were green, meaning that they don't pose much of a threat. But when they notice them being Neutrals and humans, the green color changes to red, emphasizing that they were the enemy and made a loud noise claiming it. Jack looked right at the Shredders and knew that they would be trouble.

Jack/Rodimus: "I don't know, but it's nothing good. We have to go! Move it! Move it!"

Quickly, everyone made a quick turn and ran for it as Raf and Miko scooped up the teens. They all then transformed into their alt modes and sped down to the path that could take them directly to Darkmount. The Shredders though had other intentions and they turned their gears and went after them, leaving behind a trial of destruction in their wake. The recruits were speeding like crazy as they were trying to get away from the new threat. But it was proven to be useless, as shredders were getting closer. Peering her review mirrors, Kaosu watched as she saw the shredders destroying everything in their path. Cars and metal were wrecked from underneath the one in the middle while the other two were smashing stores both left the right. But what really got her upset is that the last store the Shredder broke through on the right was her favorite record store whenever she was in the mood for some new music. Her energon started to boil as she decided to take action.

Miko/Kaosu: "Hey! That's my favorite record store you destroyed creep!"

Quickly, she pushed on the breaks and drifted to perform a 180, transforming midway in the process. Sari got out during the transformation and rolled away until she made a stop, looking right at the Wrecking Cadet and wondering what she was about to do. Getting into position, the femme armed her gravity hammers and charged them to full power. While she was doing that, she noticed a group of Vehicons returning to their pursuit on the intruders as the silver captain was taking the lead.

Vehicon Captain: "There they are team. Wait until the shredders do their work and we can finish them off when they're done."

Miko looked at it and could tell that this could be bad. So she has to get rid of them to give the others time. With her hammers fully charged, she slammed them to the ground as the paved streets went through a ripple effect straight to the Decepticons latest weaponry. The shredders jumped high into the air during the impact and went into many directions. The one in the middle though headed straight to the femme, ready to crush her. Seeing that, she switched her left hammer to a sonic blaster and targeted it to the projectile. She then fired a powerful enough blast to push the shredder to the opposite direction, straight towards the squad of Vehicons. The captain looked up to see the round weapon and started to avoid it.

Vehicon Captain: "Look out!"

He immediately steered away from the path of the shredder but the car behind him didn't had the chance as the shredder collided with the Con and ripped him apart till he was nothing but scrap metal. Once he was back in position he took a breather in his vehicle mode and glad to dodge that bullet.

Vehicon Captain: "That was a close one."

He then looked at Miko and told the others to keep pushing.

Vehicon Captain: "Target sighted! Take her down!"

The remaining Vehicons armed up their blasters and fired at her. The Japanese femme decided that it was time to leave as she turned and picked up Sari, transforming back into her McLaren to catch up with the others. Once she rejoined the team, she told them what she did.

Miko/Kaosu: "I've managed to get those things off our tailpipes, but that won't last long."

Jack mentally nodded in his Hummer mode and told her that it was all right.

Jack/Rodimus: "Doesn't matter anymore, we're just about to leave town. Once we go to the freeway then it would be smooth riding from here on out."

But the moment he said that, Raf noticed something at the end of Jasper and warned his friend about it.

Raf/Firewall: "Rodimus? I think you need to recheck on that."

Looking straight ahead the young mech saw the freeway's entrance but spotted something the hacker found. At the entrance, there were five Tankicons blocking the path with metallic shields protecting them while a group of Airadicons of both purple and silver stood behind. Seeing this, the teen cussed and didn't like the odds.

Jack/Rodimus: "Scrap! Roadblock! Now how are we going to reach the citadel?"

Sam looked at the road too in Firewall's Scion XB and didn't know what to do next. But then, he noticed an outside sewer way beneath the bridge and told everyone about it.

Sam Witwicky: "Hey, what about we head down there? It's the only clear path we have left."

Rodimus looked at the sewer way beneath the bridge too and remembered about that place. It was the day he first met Arcee and the first Autobot/Decepticon fight he witnessed. If the sewer way is long, it might take them to the fortress, if it would take them a while.

Jack/Rodimus: "It's a long stretch, but it's the only way. Follow me team!"

So the young mech went off the road while his friends followed suit. As the same time, the tanks spotted the intruders and opened fire on them. The group avoided the mess as quick as they can as explosive shells were hitting everywhere but them. Finally, they managed to jumped off the slanted ramp and into the sewer way. The group of Vehicons saw them leave as they went into pursuit and went down after them. The group of Airadicons though saw them and decided to do the same as well. They all turned into jets and went after them in the air. The three saw this through their mirrors and knew this was very bad.

Raf/Firewall: "Guys, we've got a problem."

Jack/Rodimus: "Yeah, I notice that. But it's just a bunch of Cons. At least things couldn't of get any worse."

Suddenly, they heard the same noise as before as they noticed the three shredders came out of the blue and landed in front of the other Cons, going after the recruits. Sari looked back through Kaosu's review mirror and groaned.

Sari: "You had to ask?"

She then looks to her for an explanation as the femme nervously laughed a little.

Miko/Kaosu: "Well, it was short lived."

Soon enough, the chase is still on as an army of Decepticons went after three Autobot recruits. The Airadicons then started to fire their blasters at them as red projectiles rain down on them. The group avoided it as much as they could, but it was nearly impossible since they were in a tight spot. A few Airadicons though spotted a brick smokestack from a half damaged factory and decided to use that to block the three. Firing their blasters at it, the bricks started to break apart as the stack plummeted to the ground, right at the sewer way system the recruits were on. Rodimus saw this and told the other to hurry.

Jack/Rodimus: "They're about to trap us! Maximum overdrive!"

Quickly, they pressed on the gas pedal hard as their speedometers went to over a hundred. In a matter of seconds, they've managed to pass before the stack itself plummeted and crashed into the ground. But the moment it was destroyed, the three shredders burst through the rubble as the Vehicons drove between it. With that out of the way, the Decepticon armada was going after the recruits as they were hitting everything they had against them. Still nothing seems to work. Laserbeak watched the chase as the recruits drove away from the enemy.

* * *

At the command center, Starscream watched on intently and didn't like where this was going as the drone next to him told him the situation.

Airadicon 3: "Commander, all efforts in stopping the Neutrals have been fruitless. It will only be a matter of time before they reach the gates."

That aggregated the commander and let him know that we saw it.

Starscream: "Yes, I'm fully aware of it soldier. Apparently this team will stop at nothing till they reach Darkmount. Perhaps now would be a good time to apply the breaks. Fire the main cannons!"

There was an eerie silence within the room, as all the Cons turned to their second in command in total disbelief. The Airadicon next to him gulped and reminded him about what's the come.

Airadicon 3: "Commander Starscream, with all due respect, we got men down there in pursuit. If they get caught in the blast they won't-"

Before he could even finish with what he was saying, Starscream turned to him and slapped him in the face just to give him a little clarity.

Starscream: "Don't question my orders! This war requires sacrifice soldier and those drones out there are doing what's best for our cause. We have to do anything necessary to stop those intruders, no matter what the cost. Now charge our main cannons and fire at will!"

The Con remained silent until he decided to salute him and follow his direction.

Airadicon 3: "Yes sir…"

* * *

Outside, the three recruits were driving away as the threat behind them was getting nearer. They made quick drifting turns on a couple of curves until they could see the view of Darkmount in plain view. Jack saw this and was pleased that they managed to reach it.

Jack/Rodimus: "Well, at least we're going the right way. But now we have to deal with an army that's after us."

Miko/Kaosu: "No problem! We'll try to loose them."

Raf/Firewall: "Easier said then done. There are too many to take on! How are we going to loose them?"

As he was asking about that, Sari and Sam was sitting in the passenger sides of Kaosu and Firewall, looking at the ominous tower in front of them. That's when they noticed something off about that tower and warned them about it.

Sari: "Uh, guys? Something weird is going on in that spiral."

The recruits looked through their headlights and they too spotted something different about the tower. Close to the top were what appeared to be four powerful cannons pointing to four separate directions, one of which was pointing to them. That one cannon started to glow green as it was recharging for a powerful blast. The others looked on while driving and could tell that this was bad.

Raf/Firewall: "That is not good…"

The moment the cannon was fully charged, it fired a stream of green energy what was heading straight to the team. Rodimus knew that it was going to hit them and told the others to speed it up.

Jack/Rodimus: "Floor it! Don't let that beam hit you!"

So the group went to maximum overdrive again just to speed away from the incoming projectile. Though they manage to avoid the attack, the group of Cons weren't so lucky as they got him by that green beam. But as the beam hit the ground, something unexpected happened. The remaining Airadicons, Vehicons, and shredders were slowly being pulled into the green light, sucking them all up in one huge mass. The three recruits were suffering the same way as the enemy as they were slowly being pulled by the very light that tried to hit them. Their tires were moving as fast as they can with smoke coming out of them while their speed meters were reaching the breaking point. Still, it wasn't working as they were getting close to the blast.

Jack/Rodimus: "What the… We're being pulled in! What type of blast is that?!"

Raf looked into it with his scan showing on the monitor's dashboard and got the results.

Raf/Firewall: "Don't know… But the blast is emanating some kind of magnetic energy that is pulling everything in, including us. There seems to be a build up at the center that's gathering everything around it until… On no…"

Sam looked to him and was worried with what he said.

Sam Witwicky: "What? What is it?"

That's when the hacker told them to hang on.

Raf/Firewall: "Brace yourselves! This is going to be a huge blast!"

Quickly both Sari and Sam tightened their seatbelts and held on to whatever they can grab as the recruits were getting near the magnetic blast. As the same time, all of the army was sucked into the green energy and curled up into a huge metal ball. As they were bunched up together, the green light exploded, sending all the cons in many directions, hitting on everything and debris following after them. Though the recruits didn't get sucked in entirely, they were pushed back, flying in the air in the process. The two teens held on for dear life as they felt like they were in an out of control roller coaster. The group had to think of something fast before they all get destroyed in the mess. That's when Miko decided to do something completely insane. Opening up her trunk to deploy her missile cannons, she fired the two at the wall and created a huge hole that would lead to the sewers. Fortunate enough, the three recruits were heading to that direction as they managed to slip into the hole before the rest of the debris entered and covered it up completely. As the smoke cleared, all that's left was a mess of Dececpticons, buried and either severely wounded or offline and a huge black soot of where the blast was. Up in the air, Laserbeak watched the aftermath and decided to fly away to return to its master.

* * *

Starscream watched the end of the chase and was pleased with what he had accomplished as the rest of the drones looked on, shocked by what they all witnessed.

Starscream: "Such a shame… I'm already starting to like them."

But just as he felt successful on his actions, the main doors opened up and two more figures came in, one of which is far more fearful.

Megatron: "Starscream! What in the pits is wrong with you?!"

The second in command got the shock of his life as he turned back and saw Megatron standing there with Knockout by his side. All of the Cons stepped aside as the leader approached his right hand lieutenant as Scream stood there feeling a little hesitant.

Starscream: "Lord Megatron. What a surprise. Wasn't expecting you to come and grace us with your presence."

But Megatron knew his commander more then anyone else and told him to shut it.

Megatron: "Enough excuses Starscream! I've seen one of the cannons fired on that town moments ago, something that you should've let me know before I made any approval. So care to explain to me on why you fired that cannon without my order?"

He bent down to meet with his face, wanting an answer from him. The second in command looked really nervous and decided to let him in on his actions.

Starscream: "Forgive me master, I didn't really mean to disobey you. It's just that we had a few intruders that were reaching Darkmount. I had to use everything in my power to stop them."

The Decepticon leader looked at his lieutenant silently until he stood up straight, wanting to know about the intruders.

Megatron: "Was it the Autobots?"

Starscream calmed down, knowing that he avoided that bullet and went on with his explanation.

Starscream: "Sadly no. But there were three Cybertronian Neutrals that managed to attack our forces until I gave to order in removing them entirely."

Megatron looked up at the screen of the aftermath in curiosity. He didn't expect three Neutrals entering this planet, let alone fighting against his men since they're not much of fighters. He decided to get to the bottom of this as he turned to Soundwave to see the evidence.

Megatron: "Soundwave, play me back the fight the Neutrals partake in. I need to see the proof for myself."

The intelligence officer nodded as he played back the fight on his visor. Both Megatron and Knockout looked at the fight and was intrigued with how the unknown Neutrals fought. The medic whistled to himself, as he didn't expect the fight going to this new group.

Knockout: "Impressive… I gotta say for a bunch of Neutrals, they certainly know how to survive."

The leader looked at that too and finds it strange that these Neutrals fought well unlike others that didn't want to join his armada. Turning to Starscream, he asked but one question.

Megatron: "Tell me Starscream, are you certain that these Neutrals were destroyed in the blast?"

Scream nodded and told him the truth.

Starscream: "But of course my lord. You know that those cannons were placed there to ensure that no enemy would ever reach our fortress. No one would've escaped that, not even a bunch of Neutrals."

Though Megatron was pleased that his commander removed a few obstacles, he needs to be sure that they were truly one with the Well. He turned to Knockout to give out the orders.

Megatron: "Knockout, arrange a recovery team to assess the mess and find Decepticon survivors. They might have any information regarding these Neutrals. And if you find any of those Neutrals that survived the blast, bring them to me. Alive…"

There was a little awkward silence from the medical officer, as he couldn't believe what he was hearing. He never expect his lord and master wanting to bring Neutrals in alive. But being that there were questions that need to be answered, he nodded and bowed gracefully.

Knockout: "Right away my liege."

As soon as he left command, Starscream had the same type of shock and asked the leader about his order.

Starscream: "Er… Master? I know it is not my business, but why do you want to bring the Neutrals here alive? Not all Neutrals have information regarding the Autobots or their operations."

Megs peeked to him and explained his reasons.

Megatron: "True Starscream. But these Neutrals managed to breach the barrier and fought off our armada. These Cybertronians are much different then the ones that were destroyed for not joining our cause. I must find out who they are and why they would attack Darkmount. For I fear that they had help from a certain faction."

* * *

Back out of Darkmount, there was a huge mess within and around the sewer way as the surviving drones were recovering, limping and helping each from the blast. What they didn't know was the underneath their pedes were more survivors of the blast, but not Decepticons. Within the sewer system, debris and twisted metal covered up the passage, as the area was silent. Suddenly, a huge blast of sound pushed the rubble away and gave off a clear opening. The first that came out of the debris was Kaosu with Sari on her shoulder as she pointed her blaster at whatever is around. Once she noticed the place was empty, she deactivated her blaster and turned to tell the others.

Miko/Kaosu: "All right! The ghost is clear! You can come out now."

As soon as she said that, Rodimus, Firewall, and Sam got out of the debris and took a deep breather as the young boy was on the hacker's shoulders. Turns out they've managed to survive the last attack caused by the cannon that fired a magnetic blast. Once Miko formed a hole into the sewers and they all entered it, they all transformed into their bipedal modes as Jack created a shield to cover everyone from the incoming debris. They did managed to get out of there alive, but they were a little dinged up as the human teens had dirt on their clothes and a few minor scratches. But they made it out, barely. Once the young mech removed his energy shield, he looked back at the debris and sighed to himself.

Jack/Rodimus: "Great. This is just our luck. Now the Decepticons know we're here and will alert Megatron about our presence. So much for getting by undetected."

He then walked away from the mess as the femme decided to talk about it.

Miko/Kaosu: "Why are you so worked up about this? So what if we got caught with our pants down. We're still alive and they're not chasing us anymore. Don't get too upset about this."

That's when he turned to her and argued to her about why they're here.

Jack/Rodimus: "Don't get too upset? Miko, this was supposed to be a reconnaissance mission. We were supposed to reach the spiral and contact the team that we're in without running into any trouble. Now everyone knows who we are and tired to kill us! We barely managed to make an escape, but there's no telling what surprises they have in store for us. Hell, so far the Cons are already full of surprises. I mean tanks, huge brutes, shredders, and cannons to would destroy us in one shot! Even worse, there's no telling what they got in that fortress once we get there, if we get there."

The Japanese femme placed her servos on her hips and was a little ticked off about that.

Miko/Kaosu: "What, so you're saying this is my fault now? I was just giving a simple distraction just so Sari and Sam can give us a clearing. I wasn't expecting that to happen. Besides, this was your idea too. You want us to come here since our friends would get destroyed the moment they come through. You want us to go to Darkmount so we can take over the comm. channels just to let them through from within and to save Optimus. Don't come blaming it on me cause this was all you from the get go."

Jack/Rodimus: "And who else am I suppose to blame huh? The team is counting on us to get them through, and now that we're in this mess we're now completely screwed. Now the Autobots would be worry about us and think that we are taking our time. Worse yet, they might think we're dead! Now what are we suppose to do?"

The two kept on arguing for a few short seconds until Raf decided to butt in and told them to shut it.

Raf/Firewall: "Stop it! Both of you stop fighting! We can't just blame each other for what happened. What's done is done. Right now we need to focus on getting to Darkmount and getting in touch with the team. Optimus would want that."

The two looked right at the hacker and realized that he has a really good point. They were close enough to get to the enemy base. They just need to find another way in getting there. They then looked at each other and understood what he meant.

Jack/Rodimus: "Raf is right. We've managed to make it this far. So there's no backing out now. We just need to find way to get to the fortress without them detecting us."

Sam looked up at the debris was a little on edge about what happened.

Sam Witwicky: "Yeah… Good luck going out there. I'm certain they got the entire town on lockdown. How are we going to get to this place anyways?"

The group thought about it and wondered how to get in without getting caught. But then Raf looked at the sewers and came up with a plan.

Raf/Firewall: "Hey, this sewer system goes all over Jasper right?"

The two recruits looked to him and were curious with what he's got in his processor.

Jack/Rodimus: "Yeah?"

Raf/Firewall: "And if I remembered correctly, Omega One had a restroom inside, correct?"

The two then looked at each other and was a bit confused by what he said as the Wrecking Cadet asked about it.

Miko/Kaosu: "Raf? Where are you going with this?"

He then turned to the group and explained what he thought.

Raf/Firewall: "What I'm saying is that if this sewer system goes all over Jasper, then that means we can go straight to the sewer system that goes to the missile silo, close enough to reach the citadel."

The two blinked and realized that he had a really good point.

Jack/Rodimus: "That's right? It's obvious that the Decepticons placed their fortress close to the Autobots. If that's the case, then it will be easy for us to get there without the Cons hunting us. Great thinking Firewall!"

The hacker smiled, knowing that he did a good job. But Sari was cautious and asked him about this.

Sari: "Are you sure you know where the silo is located?"

He turned to her and shrugged his shoulders.

Raf/Firewall: "Well, that I don't know. But Jasper is a small town in the middle of nowhere. I'm certain that there's a path that goes straight to the old base."

Being that they have little time left, Rodimus decided to let Firewall take a lead on this.

Jack/Rodimus: "Well what are we waiting for? Lead the way."

Raf nodded as he went ahead as the rest of the team followed. For the next ten minutes though, they've been going around the sewer system looking for the path that goes straight to the missile silo. But after every turn and section, it was proven to be fruitless as it leads to one dead end after the next. But what they didn't notice was a few shadows that were darting around them, watching their every move. As they were walking, Miko was getting tired as her pedes were starting to feel soar through the waist water.

Miko/Kaosu: "Argh… Are we there yet? I could feel my pistons aching."

Sari then joined in and pinched her nose, feeling sick of the smell.

Sari: "Yeah, and this place isn't smelling any rosier either."

The Wrecking Cadet turned to her and smiled.

Miko/Kaosu: "At least I don't have a nose to begin with. Losing a sense to smell is both a blessing and a curse."

Raf decided to ignore the two and looked around to find another passage. Unfortunately, he was having a hard time looking for one. Pointing to one of the tunnels and doing the einy meeny miney moe gesture he wanted to make a quick guess out of it. But Rodimus decided go next to him and told him what he should be doing.

Jack/Rodimus: "You know Raf, it would be nice if you can access your wi-fi and to look in to the map to Jasper's sewer systems from there."

He sighed to himself and told the former teen that it wasn't the case.

Raf/Firewall: "Easier said then done. That barrier that's over the town is blocking Internet access as well. So my built in Wi-Fi won't work around here."

Jack/Rodimus: "Well you got to think of some way in getting us to the old base. We can't let the team wait for us forever."

Raf/Firewall: "I know, I know! But the whole sewer system is a bit more complex then I expected it to be. Could take us hours to find the right path, maybe even days."

Jack/Rodimus: "But we don't have that amount of time. We need to get to Darkmount now before it's too late."

As the two were arguing, Sam looked around and noticed a few shadows peeking from the pipes and immediately disappearing. So he told everyone about it.

Sam Witwicky: "Hey guys? I think we're being followed."

That got everyone's attention as they circled around each other with their blasters poised and ready. As they watched each other's backs, Jack asked Sam what he saw.

Jack/Rodimus: "What did you see? Decepticons?"

Sam Witwicky: "Hard to tell. But it would seem they were a little smaller."

Nodding, he peeked to his friends to give out the orders, totally unaware about a red dot pointing to his chest plate.

Jack/Rodimus: "Keep your guard up team. This could be a…"

The moment he turned back, he noticed a couple of red dots on his chest and looked up to see who's pointing at him. That's when he spotted a small group of shadows near a big pipe that appeared to be human in nature.

Jack/Rodimus: "Trap?"

Both Firewall and Kaosu turned to the young mech's direction and were surprised by what they saw.

Raf/Firewall: "Human survivors? But I thought they all perished when Jasper was invaded."

Miko/Kaosu: "Well it looks like not all of them didn't get killed."

Suddenly, they all heard a voice that was very familiar to them.

"Hold it right there freaks!"

Hearing that, they all looked down to see one lone shadow standing in front of them with what appears to be a Cybertronian blaster that was detached from a dead Decepticon. Slowly, the figure came into the light as the team was surprised to see who it was. Standing before them was a teen around seventeen with orange hair that goes down to his neck and freckles on his cheeks and was wearing a dirty green jacket underneath a white T-shirt, faded long blue jeans, and brown combat boots. It was to the recruits surprise that this teen was none other then their high school bully. Vince…

* * *

**Wow… Didn't expect that coming. But of course I was the one that wrote this chapter, so I did want to make a good surprise out of it. Now then onto the polls. As you read in my profile, I love to play games from both the Halo and Gears of War series. So on the next chapter I wanted to add a couple of cameos from those games. But it would seem that I'm in somewhat of a crossroads on which game appearance I should add. And since I'm very popular with these stories, I decided on setting up a poll for this decision. Now who do you think I should add as video game cameos. Will it be characters from the Halo series, characters from the Gears of War series, or is it both? I'll let you decide. As for the characters in general, that would be a surprise. Voting begins now. Stay tune for the next chapter in TFP S3 E2: Prime. Please Review.**


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